Love at Angels'
by Rinny Leonheart
Summary: Having had his heart broken 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day in hopes of making the dancer part of his future...
1. Chapter 1

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough! LOL!

Summary: Squall Leonheart is a normal student at Deling University. His attitude towards others is nothing but cold and unwelcoming. His two best friends Seifer and Irvine decide to take him out for his nineteenth birthday to cheer him up. And not just anywhere. They take him to Deling's famous strip club Angels' where he sees a true angel who shouldn't even be stripping. He goes everyday just so he can see her and begins to fall for her deeply…

**Chapter One**

**Accommodations and Best Friends**

**August 20th**

Sunlight shone throughout the windows and hallways of Deling City University. All of the students were outside the Great Hall waiting for their schedules for the following term.

Squall Leonheart stood near the back of the line waiting for his best friends Irvine and Seifer. They were late, as usual. Irvine never wore a watch because it was 'uncool' to have one. Especially with his cowboy duds. And Seifer didn't because he was a bad boy. You're either inconveniently early, or fashionably late with Seifer, never on time.

Squall sighed. The schedules were being handed out and so were the student accommodations. If those two arrived on time, they might have had a chance to get a student house or apartment to share between them. Now all the first year students would get them. Normally for second years, they were given the option of continuing living in the large block of dormitory flats provided for all students, a student house or apartment to share, or lodging in a local person's house with them. It seemed like they would never arrive.

"Yo! Squall!" came a southern voice behind him. Squall turned to see Irvine and Seifer walking towards him. Irvine walked his usual swagger whilst Seifer strode with immense importance.

"We've been lookin' all over for you man, where were you?" Irvine exclaimed as he and Seifer came to a stop three feet away from where Squall was standing.

"You're late." Squall's monotone voice replied. "You two were supposed to meet me here an hour ago. If all the good student housing is gone, I will kick your asses to graduation."

Seifer rolled his eyes. This was typical Squall behaviour. Always the tough one.

"Whatever Puberty Boy." Seifer teased as he shoved his way through the throng of first year students, who protested violently. Squall and Irvine followed him, pushing past the whining students.

"Hey!" a raven-haired girl shouted as Squall knocked her to the ground. He saw her picking up her textbooks and continued following Seifer. He heard a mutter behind him.

"Jerk!"

He stopped in his tracks and glared at the young woman on the ground. Her hair was fairly tousled, coming out of a long plait down her back. She was also wearing thick black-framed glasses. He could tell she was a first year by her appearance so he continued walking away. He would let her off _this_ time.

"Booya!" Irvine announced joyfully. "We gotta house! Oh-oh! Bad news."

"And that would be?" Seifer asked boredly.

"We gotta share it with Zell Dincht."

"Awww man!" Seifer groaned. "We gotta share _our_ house with the Chicken Wuss? That ain't right man!"

"It gets worse," Irvine replied glumly.

"How worse can it get? Do we gotta share it with a freshman female?" Seifer asked, mildly irritated. Things weren't going right for him today.

"You guessed right Seifer." Irvine muttered loud enough to reach Seifer's ears as he passed the list over to Squall.

"WHAT! Dude, I was only joking!" Seifer roared out loud, scaring the younger freshmen behind him.

"Unfortunately, he's not kidding." Squall said as he looked over the accommodation address and tenant list. "We are moving in with Dincht and and an R. Heartilly. It says she's a second year female."

"Damn…" Seifer mumbled. Squall sighed and lit up a Lambert and Butler Silver. He took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. Life was always dealing him the black jack. Why couldn't it be easy for him to have the life that he wanted?

**That's chapter one for now! Hope you guys liked it! The next one will get better! I promise! Hope you're happy I re-posted SFT too, I expect LOTS of reviews like I did last time!**

**Rinny Leonheart**


	2. Chapter 2

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough! LOL!

Summary: Squall Leonheart is a normal student at Deling University. His attitude towards others is nothing but cold and unwelcoming. His two best friends Seifer and Irvine decide to take him out for his nineteenth birthday to cheer him up. And not just anywhere. They take him to Deling's famous strip club Angels' where he sees a true angel who shouldn't even be stripping. He goes everyday just so he can see her and begins to fall for her deeply… Squinoa with a little Seiftis and Selvine- for those of you who have asked!

**The lemon for No Matter What is still in progress (avoids flying laptops and computer monitors- hey! Where did that web-cam come from?) I promise I'll have it up soon- I've been working loads! Cut me some slack!**

**Chapter Two**

**August 23rd SQUALL'S BIRTHDAY!**

Squall rolled over as his alarm went off and groaned.

"6am? Whose idea was it to get up this early?"

"That would be mine, Puberty Boy. We have to start moving our things out of the dorms and into the new house before the year starts. Besides, I wanna get the best room since I'm the eldest." Seifer smirked as he began taking off his sleep-shirt revealing his rock-hard abs and heavily muscled biceps. (A/N: DROOL!)

"Hey, we agreed that it's my turn to choose my room first since you chose yours' last year." Squall mumbled as he sat up and pulled his Egyptian cotton sheets off his well-toned body. "And would you mind getting changed NOT in front of me?" he added grumpily. Seifer laughed and began removing his tracksuit bottoms. (A/N: I'm not a big Seifer fan, but Hyne is he cute!)

"So Puberty Boy wants a little show of naked flesh does he? Well it may as well be mine since it's the best body you'll ever see in your life." He teased the young brunette.

"I'm _not_ gay Seifer." Squall groaned as he grabbed a clean towel and some torn at the knee faded jeans and a clean black body-hugging t-shirt and headed for the bathroom.

"Still doesn't prove that you aren't attracted to me!" Seifer sang out as the door to the bathroom closed.

"Whatever!" Squall retorted back.

Fifteen minutes later Squall emerged in his clean clothes with his hair damp from the shower. Seifer was rummaging through his jacket pockets for something.

"Squall have you seen my Embassy anywhere? I can't find them." Seifer asked as he shook out a pair of jeans that he had worn the previous night. Squall observed Seifer's half of their room. He'd moved in a few days ago having had all his own stuff packed away to free up his dorm. Clothes, books, congealed snacks and grocery wrappers were strewn all over the place. It was a wonder that Seifer ever found anything in that bombsite.

"Sorry, I haven't. Want one of mine until you find yours?" he offered his packet of Lambert and Butler Silver towards Seifer. Seifer took one graciously and sat down on his bed.

"Thanks man. C'mon lets go wake the cowboy up. We gotta go and fetch the boxes from your storage shed to start our packing after breakfast."

Squall rolled his eyes.

"What place is open at quarter past six in the morning for breakfast around here Seifer? The campus cafeteria isn't open for another hour."

"We don't have to go to the cafeteria Puberty Boy. There's a café next to the newsagents' on the corner that we can go to. It opens at six everyday." Seifer groaned as he lit up the cigarette that Squall had given him. He stood up from his seat and walked into Irvine's room.

Surprisingly, Irvine was awake when Seifer and Squall walked in. Half of Irvine's things were packed into the fold-up plastic crates Irvine had bought the previous day.

"Mornin' boys! You're up a bit late ain't ya? I've been up since five packing my stuff up." Irvine said through a Regal as he folded one of his many t-shirts and placed them into an open suitcase on his bare bed. Obviously he'd stripped his bed clear and put his bedding into the laundry basket next to the door. Irvine was a very tidy person. But then again he had to be. With all of the girls he'd brought back to the dorm, a dirty room would be a definite turn-off.

"You've been up since five am!" Seifer asked amazedly. "Hyne, man! How do you manage it?"

Irvine smirked at the tall blonde.

"Let's just say, I'm a multitasker, Seifer. So, we gonna go out for breakfast or what? I'm starving!"

They strolled along the empty streets of Deling and headed towards the little café on the corner next to the newsagents. Upon their entry, they noticed it was already busy and that nearly all of the tables were full of people. Most of them were business men and women. Only two or three were Deling University students. On one table at the very back were two second year female students. Seifer's girlfriend Quistis Trepe and her best friend Xu Logan. Seifer's eyes lit up with delight.

"Quisty!" he announced happily as he strode over to her table, leaving Squall and Irvine to find a table for themselves.

"What do you want Seifer? I'm trying to eat here." Quistis groaned as her boyfriend waltzed up to the table. Seifer sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Aw c'mon baby. Can't your boyfriend say hello to you first thing in the morning?" Seifer whispered seductively in her ear. She swatted him away with annoyance.

"Seifer, shouldn't you be over there with Squall and Irvine? I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you I was coming here for my breakfast, so I'll see you this afternoon for Squall's you-know-what meeting."

"Aw fuck! I totally forgot about that! Damn." Seifer cursed quietly. Quistis raised one of her finely plucked eyebrows at him.

"Seifer! That's the second time you've forgotten about the meeting. We can't re-schedule it because Squall's birthday is today! How can you forget your best friend's birthday like that?" she hissed at him. Xu rolled her eyes and giggled at his absent-mindedness. Seifer glared at her and turned back to Quistis.

"It's not my fault Quisty!" Seifer protested regretfully. "I've been too busy thinking about moving outta my dorm-"

"And you think that atones for the fact that you forgot your friend's birthday!" Quistis hissed at him quietly, eyeing Squall carefully. His icy-cobalt eyes were on Seifer and herself.

"I said I was sorry, ok?" Seifer groaned. "How's this: Irvine and I take Squall out for a while tonight whilst you and Xu set everything up, and we'll bring him back for his surprise party about eleven?"

Quistis rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Seifer, that idea sucks! We're all going out for a meal at about six. Why not take him to one of the nightclubs afterwards or something? A party is _not_ what Squall needs right now; I mean a house full of 100 strangers? Does he really enjoy parties anyway? After the meal is over, you and Irvine can do whatever you want with him, kapeesh?"

Seifer sighed with defeat. "Fine. Where is it we're meeting up and who else is is coming? We do have some unpacking to do today, remember? We're moving into our new house today. I want to sort out our love nest before you come over." He whispered seductively and leaned over for a kiss. All he received was a slap on the cheek.

"Hey! What was that for?" he moaned as he rubbed his slightly reddened cheek.

"Quit thinking with your dick and pay attention to what I'm saying!" Quistis snapped at him, her face flushing red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Seifer should have known better than to say those sorts of things in front of Xu.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the café Squall and Irvine were looking over the menu for something to eat.

"What do you fancy eh Birthday Boy? Waffles? Pancakes? Bacon batch? Full English Breakfast? C'mon man, choose one. I'm buying." Irvine offered as he sat the menu down in front of his silent comrade. Squall tentatively picked it up and scoured through it for something to eat. It was taking him ages. His coffee had been sitting next to him for almost ten minutes untouched. Irvine's was already finished.

"What's eating you Squall?" Irvine piped up. "Why are you still so down? It wasn't your fault Allison slept with that Trevor guy, you know? _She_ was the one who cheated, not _you_. It's been six months! When are you going to get over it?"

"I'm NOT!" Squall shouted and threw the menu at Irvine before storming out of the restaurant. All heads had turned to see the young man grab his coat from next to the entrance and slam the doors in his frustration. Then all gazes fixated on Irvine, who was clearing up the coffee that Squall had knocked over. He sighed in irritation.

"We really need to cheer him up man." Seifer appeared next to Irvine with napkins in his hand. "How long is he gonna mope over this?" he groaned.

"I have no idea, but you're right." Irvine responded as he cleared up the rest of the coffee from the table. "We need to find him a girl, or better yet…" he trailed off, a smirk on his face. Seifer looked at him, the same grin upon his fresh features.

"Are you thinking, what I'm thinking?" Seifer asked. The grin on Irvine's face grew bigger.

"Angels'." He said simply. "We'll take him to Angels'."

**Author's Note: Not much of a chapter, but at least there's a second one up now! I'll be working on the next chapter and No Matter What's lemon over Xmas. I won't have much time, but I'll do my best, promise!**

**Don't forget to review! Your opinions are much appreciated!**

**Rinny Leonheart**


	3. Chapter 3

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough! LOL!

Summary: Squall Leonheart is a normal student at Deling University. His attitude towards others is nothing but cold and unwelcoming. His two best friends Seifer and Irvine decide to take him out for his nineteenth birthday to cheer him up. And not just anywhere. They take him to Deling's famous strip club Angels' where he sees a true angel who shouldn't even be stripping. He goes everyday just so he can see her and begins to fall for her deeply… Squinoa with a little Seiftis and Selvine.

Forgive the delay in many of my updates. I've been working and recently met someone at my new activity- Modern Jive Dancing. As you can see I've been busy. And just recently I had to deal with an act of plagiarism on my best known fic No Matter What. All should be sorted now but forgive me for not updating sooner.

I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of the brand names used in this fic. Angels' and the BubbleGum Bath Foam are my own creations.

**Mild nudity warning for this chapter.**

**Last Chapter**

"We really need to cheer him up man." Seifer appeared next to Irvine with napkins in his hand. "How long is he gonna mope over this?" he groaned.

"I have no idea, but you're right." Irvine responded as he cleared up the rest of the coffee from the table. "We need to find him a girl, or better yet…" he trailed off, a smirk on his face. Seifer looked at him, the same grin upon his fresh features.

"Are you thinking, what I'm thinking?" Seifer asked. The grin on Irvine's face grew bigger.

"Angels'." He said simply. "We'll take him to Angels'."

**Chapter Three**

**23rd August SQUALL'S BIRTHDAY!**

**Later that day…**

Squall was walking around Deling, trying to calm down. He had ended up near the dorms by now. He turned a corner and walked into the local convenience store for some fags. He'd smoked the last four of one packet and fifteen from another he'd had on him in the past eight hours since he'd stormed out of the café. He passed the rails of magazines and snacks, deciding on a sausage roll and a packet of McCoy's Flame Grilled Steak crisps. He brought them to the till and stood next to a dark-haired girl who was making her own purchases.

"Anything else?" the assistant asked after scanning the two items through her till.

"Twenty Lambert and Butler silver," he grunted.

"We ran out early this morning love." The assistant said apologetically. "All we have are the new Superkings or the Lights."

"Superkings? When did those come out?" Squall questioned as he looked at the display over the counter. True enough; the store was out of the Kingsize regular strength cigarettes he normally bought. It doesn't help that almost all of the university students smoked that brand.

"They came out yesterday, love." The assistant explained.

"Go on then. I'll take forty."

"Thirty L & B Superkings silver please, and a can of petrol fluid." The dark-haired girl asked and began packing her own groceries hurriedly. Squall couldn't help but be nosy and saw her shove three girly magazines into her bag along with several large chocolate bars. He raised an eyebrow in disgust and kept quiet. The girl paid with a 50 Gil note and rushed past him and was out of the door as the shop assistant called out to her.

"You've forgotten your change!"

"I'll get it to her," Squall volunteered. "I know her from campus," he lied. The assistant handed him the change of 30 Gil as he paid for his shopping and ran after the girl.

"Hey! You there!" he shouted. The girl was running across the quiet suburban road and stopped as she heard someone calling her.

"What do you…?" she shouted as she turned around. She gasped in horror. Squall froze.

"YOU!?" they both shouted at the same time. It was the girl he'd knocked over a few days earlier at the accommodation listing day.

Squall walked over to her and looked at her carefully. He could tell it was her, even though her hair was no longer in its thick plait, but flowing around her shoulders. He never forgot a face like hers. The glasses were gone, allowing her heart-shaped face to look fuller. She looked rather cute without the glasses and the plait. Her eyes were brown in colour; they reminded him of melted chocolate mixed with swirls of caramel. They suddenly narrowed as she frowned at him.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked snappily, breaking him out of his trance. Squall thrust something into her hand. She stared at the three ten Gil notes in her hand.

"Simple thanks would have been nice. You left this in the shop," Squall said and walked off round the corner. He heard hurried footsteps behind him and turned to find the girl a couple of feet behind him.

"Are you stalking me? I gave you your money, now piss off! I have somewhere to go." Squall snapped at her and tried walking off again. This time he felt a hand on his shoulder and swung round. The girl was standing behind him, her head lowered in shame.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she began. "T-thanks for giving me my change. Not many people would do that." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Squall felt his own mouth curve into a smile.

"It was no problem-" He was cut off by his mobile ringing. "Hang on a sec, would ya?" he said as he flipped his phone open and put it to his ear.

"S'up? Hi Quisty. Yeah I'm fine now. What's that? They're taking me _where_ tonight!? You're kidding! Please tell me you're joking about that? Oh Hyne!" he groaned in exasperation.

The girl watched him talking on his phone, taking in what she could from the side of the conversation she was on. The guy didn't seem happy about something.

"Why _there_ of all places!? Did you try talking them out of it? Oh thanks, you're a big help Quisty!" he replied sarcastically and snapped his phone shut.

"Of all fucking places to take me!" he growled, forgetting that the girl was still next to him. He turned to see her looking at him wide-eyed, as if in shock. His face flushed scarlet and he began stammering.

"L-look, I, uh, I gotta go now. Nice bumping into you again. Maybe we'll see each other again. Bye!"

And with that he ran down the street, leaving her speechless.

"I can't believe I just lost it like that!" he scolded himself. "That girl doesn't know me and I blurted out what was going on in my head! I totally forgot she was there and I… agggh!"

He turned the corner to see Seifer and Irvine putting boxes into a small removal van.

"You guys are so fucking dead!" he roared as he sprinted across the road towards them. Irvine looked up, feigning innocence.

"Why? What'd we do?" Seifer asked the flustered brunette.

"It's not what you've done, it's what you're planning to do!" Squall bellowed at the taller blonde. "You think that taking me to a strip-club is gonna make me feel better?!"

"Strip-club? What strip-club?" Seifer asked, trying to act naive.

"Angels', you twit! You know, the one you guys went to EVERY fucking weekend in first year!?" Squall shouted, causing students who were also moving into or out of the dorms to stop and stare. He swung round on his heels and glared at them.

"You gotta fucking problem?!" he hissed at them. Many shook their heads and went on their way as quickly as possible. He turned back to Seifer and Irvine, to catch them running back to their rooms.

"Oh no you don't!" Squall yelled and ran after them. He caught up with them shortly. He knew they'd hidden in Irvine's wardrobe. Squall flung the doors open, only to have Irvine grab one of his arms and Seifer, the other. They threw him to the floor and pinned him down.

"Look man, it's for your own good." Seifer began explaining. "We won't let you go until you agree to come with us!"

**Deling City Slum District 3:23pm**

The streets were littered with beer cans and crisp packets and only one person was walking through them. Disguised in a cloak and carrying a small bag, they knocked on a door of what looked like a warehouse. A small opening appeared near the top of the door and a man's face peered through it.

"Yer early," he remarked as he opened a catch from his side of the door. "Rehearsal don't start fer another hour. Fer a newbie, ye sure are dedicated to yer job." He commented as the person brushed past quickly. Once the door closed they flung their cloak off.

"I keep telling you I'm not new here! I've been working here for a year and I'm only dedicated so I can earn my money for the second year of university, Fisher!" Rinoa replied haughtily, pulling her hair back into a pony-tail.

"Ye ain't been here fer as long as I have; ye'll always be a newbie to me." He replied. Rinoa snorted.

"Where's Sel? Is she here yet?" she asked as she pulled one of the girly magazines she'd bought earlier from her bag. She walked over to a nearby bench and flipped it open.

"Ain't here yet, but as I said, yer an hour early fer rehearsal." Fisher pointed out to her as he locked the door again. "Whatcha readin'?" he asked, walking over to her. "Take a Break? Didn't think ya'd buy anything like that, ya always got yer nose in them surgery books."

Rinoa sighed deeply. "It's none of your business what I read. The only business you have with me is as my boss and bodyguard!"

Fisher was definitely built well for the job of protecting people. At seven foot three and equipped with serious muscles, he was perfect as a bouncer. Anyone who caused trouble would have Fisher to deal with, and that was never a pleasant experience. Rinoa heard rumours that he used to protect presidents and royalty. Rumour had it he murdered someone and had to change his identity. But for whatever reason, he had been the manager and head bouncer of Angels' for ten years.

Rinoa sighed to herself as she read an article in her magazine. She empathized with this woman who had written in. She was an only child, came from a rich family but refused to have everything given to her and wanted to earn her way through life. The only job this poor girl could get was working in a brothel as a prostitute.

_Maybe_, thought Rinoa, _my life isn't as bad as that. Stripping in front of perverted men to work your way through university is a lot more glamorous than selling your body to them. But the only thing that saddens me is the fact that stripping is the only job I was suited_ _for._

She thought back to the previous summer where all she had got were blisters on her feet from going from one place to another for interviews. Each place had told her she was unsuited for the position, even working in retail. If Rinoa hadn't been so proud, she would have asked her father for help getting a job. His contacts were enough to get her the job she wanted, but she wouldn't give up until she met Selphie Tillmit, another freshman at the time. Selphie had divulged the secret of her job stripping for men.

"It's a degrading job but the pay is reasonable." Selphie had told her. "And if you're lucky enough, you can get up to 300 Gil a night in tips."

Rinoa had been to a prestigious dance school as a child and by using her skills as a dancer, she had been given a job. It was hard work, along with her classes at the medical centre and the enormous amounts of coursework and essays, and several packets of Pro Plus and Red Bull; she managed to stay focused for her night shifts at Angels'. Her sophomore year was gonna be a tough one, but she'd manage. Nothing could go wrong for her this year.

**Back to Squall, Irvine and Seifer**

Squall's struggle with his friends had resulted in defeat. He had no choice but to agree to going. He had given them two conditions though. One, they wouldn't pair him up with some random stranger. And two, they would pay for all the booze he'd need to get through the night.

They climbed into the van after finishing their packing and drove off with the directions to their home for the year. After twenty minutes of getting lost and having to turn around to find their way, they stopped outside a standard-sized semi-detached house. Irvine slapped his forehead in realisation.

"We're only five minutes drive away from Angels'! This is gonna be a great year!"

Squall sighed. "Just promise me this is the only time I'm gonna be going to this place. I have no intention of drooling at half naked women every night like you guys."

Seifer slapped Squall on the back. "Man, you need to relax and enjoy university life! When are you gonna have this chance again?"

Squall thought about being really defiant but decided it wasn't worth the argument. They stared at the house in awe. It was theirs for a whole year.

"Pretty small for five people." Irvine commented. "Let's hope there's enough room for all that stuff that girl's probably bringing with her."

Seifer's smiling face dropped as suddenly as a fly being smacked down with a swatter. "Damnit! I totally forgot we were sharing with a girl! Having to share with Dincht was bad enough. We won't be able to walk around in the nude with a girl in the house! She's probably never even seen a naked man before in her life!" he sniggered.

"Wouldn't know what to do with us right?" Irvine smirked. Squall didn't join in. He was appalled at the way they talked about their female roommate and they hadn't even met her yet. He climbed out of the van with two suitcases and walked to the front of the house. Placing one on the step he pulled out his key, and just as he was putting it into the lock the door burst open.

"Hey guys! So glad we're all gonna be living together huh?!"

Squall had almost fallen down the step he was standing on. Zell Dincht was a very hyper young man. He was literally bouncing up and down in the doorway. Squall regained his composure.

"Mind letting me through?" he asked rudely. He wasn't in the mood for this, not after the day he had and the night he was going to have. Zell jumped past him and ran to the van.

"Need some help?" he asked in a friendly manner. Irvine looked at Seifer who raised his eyebrows at him. Irvine smiled at Zell.

"Sure you can. Grab that box over there, would ya?"

Zell picked up the box and walked up the path with Seifer and Irvine in suit. Squall was walking around the bottom part of the house. There was a fairly big kitchen, living room and spare room. There was also a closet under the stairs, which looked like there was more than one upper level in the house. He hadn't really noticed a second floor. The house only looked like a two-story accommodation. He walked up the stairs onto the landing. There was definitely another level. He looked around the level he was on. In total there were three bedrooms, two toilets and two bathrooms. That sure made things easier.

One of the doors had a martial arts poster stuck to it. Zell had obviously claimed this room. The other two were reasonably sized, but Squall was more interested in the next floor. He climbed up the additional stairs. There was another floor with two rooms. It was weird though. The ceiling slanted at the ends of the floor. This was probably the loft space that had been converted for student housing. He looked into one of the rooms. The space was gigantic. It was already furnished which was somewhat of a relief. The window was on the slanted part of the roof overlooking the front of the house. With some readjustment, he could get this room looking just the way he wanted it.

He placed his cases on the king-sized bed. It had clearly been refurnished over the past month. There were no tell-tale signs of previous tenants like graffiti and ripped wallpaper. He saw a key on the desk and picked it up. There was a tag hanging from the chain. 'Bedroom No 4 key' was written on it. He pocketed the key. This was now his room. The room next door was locked. He'd wanted to take a look in there. It was obvious that the female roommate had chosen this one.

He walked downstairs to the kitchen. Seifer, Irvine and Zell were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him.

"Squall, wanna cuppa tea or something?" Irvine offered as he stood up. He walked over to the kettle, picked it up and dragged it over to the sink to fill it. Squall shrugged.

"Whatever."

Zell and Seifer were sitting in an awkward silence. Zell was eyeing Seifer nervously. Seifer was leaning back in his chair playing with his phone. Irvine headed for the fridge for some milk and noticed a letter stuck to the door with a magnet. He yanked it off the fridge and began opening it.

"Hey Zell, is this from the chick we're living with?"

Zell looked up and stood from the table. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a note addressed to all of us guys."

Squall walked over to the table and sat down. "What's it say?"

Irvine cleared his throat and began to read.

"_Hi guys. Sorry I'm not here to greet you all properly. Hopefully there will be a time to make formal introductions possible. There's a letter on the counter for each of you from the university accommodation board regarding rules etc. It's all the basic boring stuff. Anyway hope to see you at some point!"_

The letter contained nothing else and at the bottom of the page was an engraving of a pair of wings.

"She sounds nice." Zell commented. Seifer snorted.

"You think everyone's nice Chicken Wuss. Living with us is gonna show you how wrong you are on making assumptions about people."

Zell gritted his teeth at the taller blonde and sucked in a breath. "Well maybe _your_ theory on people is wrong!" he hissed. "I try to see the good in people and hope for the best. Oh, what am I explaining this to you for anyway? I've made my mind up about you anyway. If you'll excuse me, I'll be unpacking in my room."

He pushed his chair back under the table and walked out of the kitchen. Seifer turned to his best friends for some reassurance. Both of them had their arms folded.

"You can't possibly agree with him on that, can you?" he protested. Squall rolled his eyes. Seifer always made sure his assumptions were right, no matter what they were about.

"Whatever Seifer." He told him. "Anyway I've got my room sorted out. You guys are on the first floor. I'm living in the attic from now on."

Irvine said nothing and Seifer walked out of the room to get the rest of the boxes from the van.

Two hours later Squall looked over his new domain. He'd pushed the bed next to the window, the wardrobe next to the door, the chest of drawers next to his bed and the desk into the corner with the most plug sockets. His computer was sitting on the desk, ready to be plugged in. His wardrobe wasn't filled yet, he'd left the major unpacking for later. He flopped onto his bed. Right now he was exhausted. How in Hyne's name was he going to manage going out tonight?

He heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he groaned. Seifer's head popped out from behind the door.

"You gonna be getting ready soon? Quistis is meeting us at The Wendigo in an hour for your birthday meal."

Squall groaned again. Why couldn't his nineteenth birthday be less bothersome? It wasn't an important one like his eighteenth or twenty first, so why try and make the start of just another year of his boring life exciting? Angels' was gonna be a complete waste of time. All Squall wanted to do was chill out in his room all night, maybe watch some new DVDs he'd bought, or play Tekken Tag Tournament on his Playstation 2.

"Squall?"

"I'm getting ready now, ok!" Squall shouted at Seifer, climbing off his bed in a huff. He grabbed his towel, shampoo and shaving kit from one of the boxes he hadn't unpacked. Seifer smirked at his friend. He had no idea what was in store after this meal.

He walked into the largest bathroom and shut the door behind him. He turned around to see toiletry items on a shelf near the bath. He picked up a bottle and read the label. The purple bottle had 'BubbleGum Bath Foam' written in bright pink bubble letters. Squall twisted the lid off the bottle and sniffed the contents. He couldn't smell anything at all and the bottle was full.

"Must be cheap stuff. It doesn't smell like anything at all." He decided and put the bottle back where he found it.

Twenty minutes later Squall emerged from the shower in an even fouler mood. He didn't want to go out tonight but he had no choice. As stubborn as he was, he wouldn't show his friends up and not go to his birthday dinner.

He put on some clean boxers and a pair of faded blue jeans. He opened his suitcases and searched for a shirt to iron. He pulled out a few and looked them over. He had a dark blue denim effect one, a faded green one, a black one and a dark red one. He laid them out on his bed and set up his ironing board and iron. He closed his eyes and blindly reached for a shirt. He grabbed one and opened his eyes. His sightless choice had given him his denim effect shirt. He smiled. He'd wanted to wear this shirt anyway. He only wanted to get some amusement out of his choice. Not that the other shirts weren't nice, the chosen shirt hadn't been worn yet. Even in his predicament, wearing this shirt would make him feel slightly better.

He ironed it the way his mother had taught him, seams first, then the collar and finally the sleeves. He looked around for a white t-shirt to go under it; unfortunately, the only one he could find was dirty. He sighed. Looks like he'll have to wear just the shirt.

He brushed his hair into a different style from his trademark 'bangs in the face' look. He swept his bangs above his head, spiking them up with gel. It didn't look too bad and he threw on his shirt and buttoned it up, save for the two top buttons.

Meanwhile Seifer was in the kitchen on his phone.

"… That's why we want to do this. You still do 'specials' don't you? The occasion? A birthday. Yeah, can we get the best you have? Brilliant! We'll be there about ten o'clock. The number is gonna be five people, we'll need three of your best. The birthday boy's name? Squall Leonheart. That's great, thanks for doing this at such short notice. Yeah, I'll pay on the door. The name's Almasy. See you then. Bye."

He hung up and grinned at Irvine who was just walking back into the kitchen. Irvine smirked back.

"It's done then?"

"Oh, is it ever! Puberty Boy is gonna have the best night of his life!"

Back at Angels' Fisher was just putting down the phone. He looked at the notes he'd just written down and smirked.

"They want the best, do they? There's only one person who could pull this job off."

He walked out of the office and headed to the main stage. A group of thirty girls who were stripping to music stopped their performance. A small girl, wearing only knee-high boots and a microscopic thong switched the CD player off.

"Cheers Selphie," he said and turned to the half naked group. None of them tried covering themselves up for Fisher, he always saw them like this and they felt comfortable in their state of undress around him. But then again, strangers saw them like that so they felt comfortable anyway.

"Now then girls, get dressed and go home. Ye've all done really well so I'm letting ya go early, but remember to be back 'ere fer eight fer final rehearsal."

Everyone began gathering up her clothes and proceeded towards the changing area behind the stage. Fisher's voice rang out like a bell.

"Rin! I need a word with ya when ye're changed. I'll be in the office."

Rinoa sighed. It didn't sound good. Selphie slung an arm around her shoulders. Rinoa felt her bare breasts against her back. They were sticky with sweat and felt spongy on her bare shoulders.

"Why does he wanna see you? It doesn't sound like he's happy."

Rinoa shrugged Selphie's arm from her shoulders and walked off. "I don't know why. Maybe he's firing me or something."

Selphie stared after the raven-haired girl with sympathy. Life wasn't fair on her and things sounded like they were getting worse.

Rinoa entered the office five minutes later. Fisher was sitting behind the desk, a large cigar dangling from his mouth, typing at his computer. Rinoa cleared her throat loudly and Fisher's head shot up. He smiled at her and beckoned her to sit down.

"Mind if I smoke?" he asked her as she dragged a chair in front of his desk. She shook her head.

"As long as I can smoke too." She replied, pulling a packet from her jacket pocket. She lit a cigarette and lolled back in her chair. Fisher began talking slowly.

"Rinoa, ya've been here for a year, correct? And in that year ya have managed to increase profits by forty-five percent, thus giving everyone 'ere a 20 Gil an hour raise. Let me get straight to the point, yer an asset to this place. To lose ya would almost ruin this company. I feel that ya deserve more than to be a showgirl, and I am offering ya a private show every week. Ya can choose two girls to work with and ya will receive forty percent of the takings from the bookin' to start with. I'll give ya til Christmas to see how successful it'll be, but it seems unnecessary."

Rinoa sat up straight. "Are you serious? I get my own private show _and _I get extra money from doing it? What's made you come up with this idea?"

Fisher leaned back in his chair. "I just took a bookin' fer tonight and the guy on the phone said he wanted the best we 'ave. And yer the perfect candidate. I figured ya wouldn't mind if it meant more money. Whaddya say Rin? Will ya do it?"

Rinoa jumped from the chair in delight. "Of course I will!"

Fisher grinned at her. "Now then, just fill this form in and ya can go home."

Rinoa hastily scribbled in the details for the form and prepared to leave. Fisher called out to her as she reached the door.

"Oh, and Rin? Don't ferget ta wear yer mask tonight. Its fer some birthday lad and the guy who rung said he wanted ya to do a special lap-dance fer him. I'll give ya the rest of the details later on, ok?"

Rinoa nodded and walked out of the door. Masks were used regularly at Angels', mainly for when there was a lot of contact with a customer. It was a precaution Fisher had insisted upon for the safety of his girls. He didn't want them to get hassled when they weren't working. A devastating incident three years ago had made him enforce the rule of masks.

Rinoa walked out of the club with a bounce in her step. She'd briefed Selphie in on what happened and the small girl was as jumpy as ever about it. Rinoa asked her to join in tonight on the fun and talked to another girl about it who agreed to help her too. She headed towards the club's car park. Shifting some keys in her hand she turned off the alarm on her metallic blue Suzuki motorbike. She unlocked the seat and took out a matching blue helmet. She shoved her bags into the compartment and slid on some gloves from inside the helmet. She straddled the motorbike and strapped down her helmet. She put the keys in the ignition and drove off.

**Back at the house**

"Squall! Get your ass down here now! Quistis will kill us if we're late!" Seifer bellowed up the stairs. Irvine tapped him on the shoulder.

"Who else besides you, me and Squall are going to Angels' tonight? Who else did you invite?"

Seifer smiled. "I invited Raijin and Dincht." Irvine gave Seifer a funny look.

"You invited Zell? I thought you didn't like him."

Seifer shrugged. "I decided to give him a chance to prove himself."

"Prove himself? What are you planning Seifer? Wasn't setting Squall up enough?"

Seifer's smile grew even bigger. "Seeing Puberty Boy squirm isn't gonna be the only highlight of our evening, my friend. Just wait and see." He said as Squall walked down the stairs.

"'Bout time! Let's go!"

It wasn't long before Rinoa reached the house she'd moved into several hours earlier. She hadn't met any of her housemates and hoped that it would be a possibility when she got in. All of the lights were out and she frowned. No one was home. She smiled realizing that she'd have all the privacy she could want with no one there.

She unlocked the front door and headed towards the kitchen. The note was gone from the fridge and the letters from the counter had vanished too. The guys must have taken them to their rooms. She opened the fridge and grabbed a can of Rio from a shelf. She'd stuck a label with her name on her shelf, and the guy's surnames on the other shelves except for the bottom shelf which she had labelled 'Raw Meat'. The fridge wasn't massive but the shelves were big enough to put a week's chilled groceries on for one person each. She'd also labelled the cupboard she was using for her ambient groceries and washing tablets.

Cracking the can open she took a long gulp of the sweet fruity liquid. It was her favourite drink as a child. She had searched all over Deling for stockists and was relieved to find a Costco warehouse in the area. She signed up for membership the previous summer and had been doing her shopping there ever since. She saved lots more money than she had thought in the past year. Her annual budget for food came to seventy Gil a week, including toiletries, cigarettes and beer. But shopping at Costco had saved her fifteen Gil a week meaning she could spend what was saved at the end of the month on some nice new clothes.

She switched on the light as she reached her room. The other bedroom door was shut. Looks like one of the guys had taken residence next to her. She hoped he wasn't loud and played rock music and such whilst she was studying.

She closed her door and looked around her room. There were lots of things that needed doing but she'd leave it until her day off on Saturday. Her laptop was on charge so she picked it up to check the battery. Not full yet, but plenty of power to check her emails. She logged on and entered her email and password.

'You have 3 new messages' the screen blared at her. She clicked the inbox button and scanned the list of messages. There was one from her father, one from her internet provider and the final one was from some random website called 'MyOffers'. She deleted the one from her internet provider and the MyOffers one. They were junk to her as far as she was concerned. She opened the one from her father.

_Rinoa, it's been months since I heard from you. Is university going well? I hope you can make it home for the rest of the summer if you're not too busy with work. How is that going by the way? You never did get round to telling me what it is that you're doing. I wish that you'd used the grant money saved for you instead of working. You'd have more free time to study and come home._

That was pretty much to the email and Rinoa rolled her eyes. He wasn't concerned in the slightest. If he found out what she was doing to put herself through university, he'd drag her back home. She wanted to tell him to piss off and stay out of her life, but thought better about it. She sent him a short reply thanking him for his concern and that she was sorry she couldn't come and visit him. She sent it as quickly as she wrote it.

She grabbed her fluffy blue dressing gown, a book and her portable ashtray. She was going to take a long hot bath to relax her tense muscles.

She walked into the bathroom and locked the door. She set her things on the floor and ran the hot water into the bath. She grabbed a purple bottle from her shelf and poured it into the bath. A delicious smell rose from the hot steamy water. Rinoa climbed into the tub and switched the tap off. She reached for her razor and shaving foam and placed them next to her book. She'd use them later.

Squall looked drearily out of the restaurant window. Everyone was trying to cheer him up but he ignored them. He didn't want to be here any more than he wanted to go to Angels'. He had no choice. Every person sitting at this table (excluding his parents and elder sister who were in Esthar, but had sent him a card and 500 Gil for a present wishing him well and to do with it as he saw fit.) loved him so much and they wanted him to enjoy his birthday. The lights suddenly dimmed and a glowing light was seen out of the corner of his eyes. He groaned in exasperation. His friends had arranged a birthday cake and singing waiters.

"Hyne help me!" he muttered under his breath as the cake was set down in front of him.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Squall! Happy Birthday to you!"

He looked at the cake sat down in front of him. It was a plain white cake with HAPPY BIRTHDAY SQUALL in black letter icing. There wasn't much else to it really besides two big number candles, a number one and a number nine directly above the icing letters.

"Come on Squall!" Quistis cried out joyfully. "Blow out the candles and make a wish!"

He closed his eyes and made his wish. He took a deep breath and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered loudly, pouring themselves more glasses of wine and beer. Squall lifted his glass to everyone and drank his beer.

_I wish for my life to change for the better. I wish I could find someone true and pure. I want someone exciting enough to make me smile again without trying._

He finished his drink and signalled to a passing waiter.

"Can I get another two of these? And a shot of Sambuca too." He asked. If he was going to continue with the evening, he may as well take advantage of the free booze.

Forty minutes later, Rinoa climbed out of the bath and towelled herself dry. Hanging her towel back over the radiator, she grabbed her dressing gown and threw it on. She bent down to pick up her things and placed them back on the shelf. She left her book on the shelf and walked out of the room.

When she got back to her room she closed the door and headed towards her suitcase. She needed to choose something to wear for tonight. After twenty minutes of careful thought, she decided on her favourite outfit and threw it into a small bag. She jumped into a pair of jeans, shoved her feet into a pair of tight protective leather boots and put on a pale pink t-shirt. She looked into her shoe boxes and pulled out a pair of electric blue stilettos. She shoved them into the bag, along with a various selection of makeup items and grabbed her motorbike jacket before leaving the room and locking the door behind her.

She walked down the stairs and went back into the kitchen to make something to eat. She opened her cupboard and pulled a packet of Beef Supernoodles out along with a small tin of hotdog sausages. She waltzed over to the fridge and pulled out a red onion, red pepper and an orange pepper. She switched the hob on and brought out a saucepan and a small frying pan. She melted some butter in the frying pan and poured water over the noodles. Chopping up the peppers and onion she waited for the noodles to soften then added them to the sizzling pan. She sliced up the hotdog sausages and added them to the noodles along with the beef seasoning sachet. The peppers and onions burned slightly before she added them to the noodle pan. (A/N: This is my favourite meal of all time! It's cheap and requires little effort, try it and see if you like it!)

Stirring the contents she reflected on the conversation she'd had with Fisher earlier. She was happy, but she wished that she could be normal like everyone else. None of the girls she worked with had a normal lifestyle. But the students she shared classes with had normal student jobs, boyfriends and girlfriends; they went to see their families regularly. Rinoa had never had a boyfriend and, not that the list of offers wasn't there; she didn't have time for a romantic life of her own. Deep down she was jealous and if she wasn't so stubborn and actually accepted the living cost grant her father had for her, she could have had all of what her fellow students had- a life of her own and maybe someone who loved her for who she was inside, not what she looked like.

She poured the contents of the pan into a large bowl and put the pans into the sink and washed them. She then grabbed a spoon and a fork and sat down to eat. After a few minutes she wrapped the bowl in Clingfilm and put it into the microwave for later. She left another note on the fridge so the guys didn't throw her food away. She grabbed her things and left the house. Tonight was going to be very busy!

She put her things under the seat of her motorbike and started the engine. Taking a glance at the house she put on her helmet and drove off down the still-light streets of Deling.

Squall looked at the half eaten piece of cake on his plate. He didn't want any more of it. Not that it wasn't delicious, three layers of chocolate sponge and fudge filling, but he couldn't eat any more because he was full. He stared into his pint and mumbled to himself. He felt that everyone here was using his birthday as an excuse to go out, get plastered and ogle every person wearing skin-tight clothing. They weren't paying much attention to him, just chatting amongst themselves. His presents were stacked next to him unopened. He'd thanked everyone for their gifts, but said he would open them later much to Xu's and Quistis' protests. Even Irvine and Seifer had bought him a present each. They were taking him to Angels', buying him drinks and still got him a present. He had such good friends, but all he wanted was for the night to be over.

He felt someone shove at him and saw Irvine giving him a scary grin. Squall knew what it meant. It was time to go. Squall sighed. He knew backing out now was impossible, especially now that his friends were almost completely out of it. He couldn't fight off two drunken gits on his own. He gave in before they even started talking, just nodded and stood up to leave with them. His presents and cake were being held onto by Quistis until the next morning. He was sure he'd be too hung-over to fetch them the next morning but thanked her with as much gratitude as he could muster before Seifer and Irvine dragged him from the restaurant.

"You'll thank us for this when this night is over!" Seifer shouted joyfully as they staggered down the street. If Squall's hands had been free he would have covered his eyes in humiliation. Both Seifer and Irvine knew how he was feeling, but the night was gonna get better for him. They weren't doing this to be mean, they only wanted to help him enjoy his years as a teenager before they were over. And at the rate Squall was going, they would be over before he realised it if nothing was done now.

They walked down the streets in an almost eerie silence, but Seifer and Irvine had stupidly annoying grins plastered on their faces. The expression on Squall's face was unreadable; a cross between discomfiture and panic. If they didn't have hold of his arms he would have run away as fast as he could just to avoid the possible humiliation waiting for him at Angels'.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking Irvine and Seifer turned Squall around a corner. Squall stared up at the glowing neon sign above the building before them. His eyes diverted towards the doorway which, to his surprise, was empty. For a strip club he expected some sort of a crowd to be lined up outside, like you would a night club. Seifer knocked on the door and a small window slid open.

"Name?" a gruff voice asked. Seifer stood forward and introduced himself.

"Almasy party. Everything set up?"

The person behind the door smirked and undid the catch. The door opened and before them stood a giant.

"C'mon in lads, the girls are waitin' fer ya."

Squall was pushed forward through the door by Irvine as Seifer waltzed into the club. Squall turned his head desperately to the door to see it close and lock him inside. They followed the big guy through some double doors and found themselves surrounded by men waiting to enter the main part of the club.

"Pay in at the reception and one of the girls will show ya to yer room. Yer other two guests are already in the private room waitin' fer ya. The girls will be comin' out when yer all settled. Name's Fisher, just gimme a holler if ye need me."

Fisher walked back to the double doors and left Squall, Irvine and Seifer in the queue for entry.

"'Other guests'?" Squall's voice squeaked out. "Who else did you invite!?"

"Only Raijin and Zell, chill out." Irvine said nonchalantly as Squall's eyes bugged out in shock.

"As if dragging me here wasn't enough, you had to invite people to see me get humiliated! What were you guys smoking when you came up with this idea!?"

Seifer moved his hand quickly over Squall's ranting mouth to shut him up. It seemed girls weren't the only ones who caused scenes in public. Squall ripped Seifer's hand from his mouth and gave him his best I'm-gonna-kill-you look. Seifer gave him a superior smirk and pushed him up the queue to the reception desk.

"Almasy party for the special." He announced to the half-naked woman at the counter. She grinned at him.

"100 Gil please. Lily here will show you the way." She indicated to the brunette standing next to her. Lily smiled at them and took Seifer by the arm. Irvine and Squall followed them up some stairs next to the reception. They reached a corridor and Lily pushed Seifer forward.

"Room's at the end of the hall guys. There's a mini bar in there so help yourselves, k?"

She retreated back down the corridor, leaving the young men alone. Squall felt like he was going to be sick. This day kept getting worse and worse, what more could happen?

**Author's Note: Hey guy's great to see you're still reading this fic. If any of you are confused at some things in here like the Rio drink or the BubbleGum Bath Foam, please be patient. Things will come into place very soon!**

**Until next time!**

**Rinny Leonheart**


	4. Chapter 4

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough! LOL!

Summary: Squall Leonheart is a normal student at Deling University. His attitude towards others is nothing but cold and unwelcoming. His two best friends Seifer and Irvine decide to take him out for his nineteenth birthday to cheer him up. And not just anywhere. They take him to Deling's famous strip club Angels' where he sees a true angel who shouldn't even be stripping. He goes everyday just so he can see her and begins to fall for her deeply… Squinoa with a little Seiftis and Selvine.

No, it wasn't your eyes playing tricks on you. I'm still alive and feeling inspired! Firstly I would like to apologise for going AWOL, the last 5 years have been such a blur. For those who have not inspected my homepage prior to this update, on the 4th June 2009 I became the proud owner of a little girl who I am hoping will be a big FF fan like her mummy in the future. She already recognises Squall on YouTube music videos so I must be getting it right!

I do not own the songs used for the dances in this chapter. It didn't take me much thought to come up with an appropriate tune for Rinoa's lap dance! for the first dance, can you play "Pretty Green Eyes" and for the second play "Heaven is a Place on Earth". I have had a mod "review the chapter" telling me to remove the lyrics as I could get deleted. Not the best way to tell someone, that's what PM's are for surely. Lovely thing to come back after a 5 year dry spell!

**Warning: Nudity description in this chapter and some graphic acts.**

**Last Chapter**

Seifer moved his hand quickly over Squall's ranting mouth to shut him up. It seemed girls weren't the only ones who caused scenes in public. Squall ripped Seifer's hand from his mouth and gave him his best I'm-gonna-kill-you look. Seifer gave him a superior smirk and pushed him up the queue to the reception desk.

"Almasy party for the special." He announced to the half-naked woman at the counter. She grinned at him.

"100 Gil please. Lily here will show you the way." She indicated to the brunette standing next to her. Lily smiled at them and took Seifer by the arm. Irvine and Squall followed them up some stairs next to the reception. They reached a corridor and Lily pushed Seifer forward.

"Room's at the end of the hall guys. There's a mini bar in there so help yourselves, k?"

She retreated back down the corridor, leaving the young men alone. Squall felt like he was going to be sick. This day kept getting worse and worse, what more could happen?

**Chapter Four**

**Inside the Angels' Paradise**

Squall, Seifer and Irvine walked down the hall towards the back room. It wasn't anything seedy and wantonly designed, like movies and books would have you believe. Despite the outer building looking like a shady dock warehouse where dodgy deals were taking place, the interior was something you'd expect to see in a classy hotel. Not the chandelier, room-service, champagne serving establishments but still quite fancy. No wonder the cost of entry was so high, and you were still expected to throw a fair whack of cash at the girls too!

Seifer and Irvine walked over to Zell and Raijin who were getting along quite nicely next to the bar. There was loud rock music playing through the mounted speakers around the room. Squall walked around the room, looking for a window to jump out of. He really didn't want to be here!

It was a fairly large room, with a curtained stage at the far end, several cosy-looking chairs lined up along the wall; the only other door in the room was next to the stage but it said "Strictly No Entry", the walls were painted in crimson with a few simple artworks, except for a large poster declaring the house rules:

**ANGEL'S LAW:**

**All customers are requested to keep their hands where we can see them- so if you have an itch that needs scratching, then we will expect you to leave.**

**If we think you are too drunk then we will not serve you and may ask you to leave.**

**Inappropriate contact or behaviour towards our employees is not acceptable. If you are unsure about the level which the dancers deem acceptable then do nothing, for your own safety.**

**We do not take kindly to dealers or users in our establishment; if you are caught with or appear to be under the influence of any illegal substances then we will call the authorities and give you a lifetime ban.**

**Customers are strictly reminded that our employees are here to dance for your entertainment only, we are not a brothel so do not behave like you're in one or treat our girls like prostitutes.**

**Follow these rules and have a good time!**

**Anyone who does not adhere to the rules will be escorted out by security. We have CCTV cameras on constant surveillance around the premises for the protection of our employees and customers.**

Squall snorted as he read the "rules". Who'd have thought that such a sinful place like this would actually have rules? It was completely ridiculous!

There was a quaint little mini bar as promised on one side of the room, laden with 4 ice buckets filled with bottles of beer and a huge tray of shots. The small stage at the far end of the room had a row of chairs standing directly in front of it. He gulped and glanced over at Seifer, Irvine, Zell and Raijin, who were huddled together in front of the bar, they were helping themselves to the tray of shot glasses with various spirits.

"C'mon Birthday Boy! Let's make a toast!" Zell shouted over the sound of the stereo. Squall sighed in defeat and strode over to them. He grabbed a clear shot and downed it in one gulp.

"Hey! You're supposed to wait for us to make the toast, ya know!" Raijin protested. Squall looked at him darkly.

"My birthday, I can do what I like."

"Ok, ok. There's no need to get your boxers in a bunch!" Irvine laughed. Squall's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Like hell there isn't! You guys dragged me here against my will! You're expecting me to sit over there and have some slapper wave her tits and arse in my face while you have a good laugh, how do you expect me to feel about it?!"

"Calm down dude, it's only one bloody dance," Seifer grumbled at his brunette friend. "if you don't enjoy it, then you can go after it's over, alright?"

"Don't be such a spoil sport ya know. We've all pitched in for tonight, the least ya can do is stay for the one dance." Raijin adds.

"OK! OK FINE! Enough with the fucking guilt trip!" Squall yells, exasperated. "I'll stay for the stupid dance, but the minute it's over I am outta here, understand!"

"If you say so, now let's start off our night with the toast!" Seifer says loudly.

The five men reach for another shot glass and raise it above their heads.

"To Squall, the best friend a guy could ask for! Irvine starts.

"Happy Birthday dude!" Zell shouts.

"Here's to you man! Let's have a good night lads!" Raijin adds

"Puberty Boy, may tonight make you a real man." Seifer says, clinking his shot against Squall's. They all neck their glasses and suddenly the lights in the room go off.

"What the fuck happened? Was that a power cut?" Squall moans, his eyes struggling to focus in the newly darkened room.

"Can't be, the surround sound is still working ya know." Raijin says

"A bulb must have popped or something; I can't see a damn thing." Zell says, trying to feel his way to the walls.

"Watch it Chicken Wuss, you nearly knocked me over!" Seifer grunts as he gets an elbow in his back.

"Sorry Seifer, that was me," Irvine admits sheepishly.

While the guys fumbled around in the dark, standing on each other's toes, on the stage behind the curtain, three young women are speaking amongst themselves. A tall red-head in a pink costume is leaning on the back of the wall, her eyes twinkling in excitement. The shorter girl in a yellow bra and green striped tutu is jumping up and down in a fit of giggles. Rinoa looks at them both, a smile on her lips as she applies some shimmer dust to her chest.

"Are we ready to go? Let's do it just as we practiced, Selphie you come out first and take the left side of the room, Katrina, you follow after Selphie and take the right. I'll come onto the stage right after you guys by sliding down the pole at the back. Fisher, we're ready to start!" she turns to her boss at the side of the backstage, his hands on the pulley, ready to open the curtain. He nods at her as she scales a ladder to the top of the stage. Once she was sat atop the pole, she waves at him to signal the beginning of her first private show.

Suddenly a spot light snaps onto the stage area, a deep voice bellows from the speakers:

"We understand that we have a special guest here tonight at Angels'. Well, have we got a surprise in store for ya this evening. Please make yer way towards the stage and take yer seats. The show is about to begin!"

"Booyah! It's show time!" Zell shouted excitedly. They each grab a beer and pop the lids off as they head towards the seating area. Zell jumps over the chairs and plonks his butt down in the middle of the row. Irvine places his hand on Zell's shoulder.

"Uh uh uh! Zell move aside, that seat is for the birthday boy."

"Ooops, sorry, I forgot, I am just soo excited about this guys!"

"Ha! If you're excited now, wait til you see the girls dance; it is mind blowing!"

Squall slumps into his "designated" seat, folding his arms, his face like thunder as he stares at his feet. Everyone else sits down, watching the stage in anticipation.

The curtains open and a smoke cloud billows out from the backdrop. Then suddenly the music track changes and an upbeat tune begins blaring from the speakers. Two girls strut out onto the stage, each wearing a sparkly costume. The shorter girl has the left side of her face adorned with a white mask, the taller one wears one on the right side of her face, they catch the colours of the disco lights flashing in the background. Squall glances up and looks away disinterested.

_(Pretty Green Eyes starts playing on the surround system, stick this on YouTube in a separate window to experience it as originally written)  
_

Selphie and Katrina start swinging their hips to the beat of the music, spreading their legs apart and thrusting their hips forward in unison, curling their hips to the side in a swinging motion, their arms above their heads like belly dancers. The guys start yelling out in wolf whistles. Squall looks up and feels very embarrassed to be sandwiched between them and takes a long draw on his beer. The girls had started to walk down the steps from the stage and approach the party. The guys are standing up, too excited to get back on their seats, leaving Squall sitting down by himself. Rinoa watches Selphie and Katrina leave the stage as they had planned and makes her entrance onto the stage.

Squall looks up past his friends' jumping bodies as the two girls start gyrating in front of them to see a dark-haired girl gliding down the pole, and chokes on his drink. She ascends the shiny surface, twisting and turning, her back arching to the tempo of the music. Squall's eyes lock onto her fluid movements, his mouth hanging open.

Her hair was backcombed into a wild explosion (A/N: just like the girl in the Ultrabeat video), her face covered from the tip of her nose to the bridge of her forehead with a shimmering mask. She was wearing a sparkly blue corset with a long zip fastening, accentuating her curvy figure with a pair of tanga style short-knickers, a black suspender belt attached to matching fishnet stockings which came halfway up her thighs and blue heeled shoes which were scarily tall.

_(Upbeat trance music)  
_

Rinoa stands on the stage, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, moving her body in a slow circle. She throws herself forward onto her hands and backflips onto the pole, landing back onto it with ease, her hands and legs wrapped around the surface, her body thrusting forward, writing to the music. Squall is mesmerised by the way she moves, he feels his palms sweating, his mouth goes dry and he takes another swig from his drink, the dryness in his throat wasn't satisfied.

Squall's eyes only focus on Rinoa's movements as she swings around the pole and dismounts into a split on the stage, her head bent down. She lifts her chin and stands swiftly, then back-hand-springs off the stage, her body twisting as she falls to the floor, landing before his feet on her knees. She raises her head towards him. He looks into her eyes behind her mask, hiding half of her face above her lips. He breathes deeply as she smiles at him with a wink that he almost missed.

_(Slow trance music)  
_

She holds her arms out to her colleagues and they stand beside her, grab her wrists and flip her over their shoulders. She spirals into a tucked roll and turns her head to face Squall, her hands on her hips, her back angled. She runs her hands up her curved body, gyrating her hips as she reaches beneath her hair and lifts it up slowly; Squall glimpses the dark lines of a large tattoo on her back. Her hair falls back into place, before he can make out the shape, she turns back to face him, curling her hips to the final beats of the music, her hands running from her milky white thighs up to the mounds of her breasts.

The song ends and Rinoa stands before him, hands on her hips mid thrust. Squall swallows a lump in his throat, completely entranced by the way she was moving. Another track starts to play over the surround system but she signals towards the stage in a cutting motion. The music stops and Squall watches her walk over to Seifer, her hand touches his shoulder, her perfect lips move slowly as she whispers into Seifer's ear. She must be used to Seifer coming here; perhaps he was her favourite customer. Seifer whispers into her ear smirking, his eyes looking straight in Squall's direction. Squall feels his heart rise up to his throat as Seifer points to him.

The dancer walks over to him; he watches her hips swaying with each step. She crouches down to meet his eye level. He can see her so much more clearly up close, she was totally beautiful. He wanted to take her mask off to see her face. She opens her mouth and speaks.

"So you're friend here tells me it's your birthday?"

He nods at her slowly, unable to speak. She smiles and claps her hands together in delight.

"That's wonderful! Happy Birthday! Well then, how would you like me to do a special little dance up on the stage, just for you?"

Her voice was soft and seductive; he gripped his drink in his hand and tried to answer her. Nothing came out; his mouth gaped like a fish. She giggles at him. Even her laugh was turning him on.

"If you need a few minutes to think about it, I'll go and get myself a drink while you decide. No pressure ok? Just call me over when you've made up your mind."

She turns on her heel and saunters off to the stage, she shouts to someone hiding in the back and the music starts again. She grabs a canned drink from behind the curtain. She sits on the edge of the stage, clicks the lid of the can and takes a long sip. Squall watches her elegant neck bounce up and down as she swallows.

Irvine sits down beside him and nudges his ribs. He looks at his friend.

"Well dude? Are you gonna go up there or what?"

"Up _there!_?" Squall exclaims. "You mean I have to stand up there with her dancing round me?!"

"No, don't be stupid. You don't have to stand up there, it's a _lap_ dance bro, you sit up there and let her dance on you."

Squall's eyes bugged out in shock.

"I think I'm gonna be sick! You cannot possibly expect me to sit there and let her move like that on my lap without losing it!"

"Dude, it's called self-control. Hell even I've sat there and had a dance without getting into any bother."

Seifer wraps his arm around Squall's neck as he sits on his other side.

"Don't tell me you're backing out now man! I told her it was your first time and to go easy on you. She won't do anything you're not comfortable with. She's got a lot of experience with first timers; she knows what she is doing."

"Hyne Seifer you make it sound like she's going to have _sex_ with me up there!" he hisses at his blond companion.

"How else could I have said it? Anyway, have you made up your mind yet? I've asked Pinkie over there to do one for Chicken Wuss after you have your turn, and that is a show I'd much rather see."

"So why set me up for a dance?"

"Because it's about bloody time you had some fun tonight, crack a smile or something! You're really dragging the atmosphere down in here and it's not fair when we've gone to all the effort to give you a birthday to remember."

Squall slumps his shoulders down and sighs.

"Get me some more shots and a beer then, I am not doing this thing sober."

"YES! Finally we have co-operation! Raijin, bring the tray over here, we're gonna do some shots!" Irvine calls to their burly friend who was flexing his muscles at the two other girls who had entertained them.

"Aww Irvine! I'm busy here ya know?"

"No moaning, Squall said he'll have his dance, the sooner we get some drinks down his neck the sooner you can get back to flirting with the ladies."

"No problem guys, if you need a drink break feel free!" offers the tall red head as she pulls her smaller companion over to the stage. "We'll have a quick drink ourselves."

"Come join us for a shot girls!" Seifer calls. The girls shake their heads as they sit at the edge of the stage.

"Lovely offer thanks, but we don't drink alcohol on duty." The shortest girl shouts over

Raijin brings over the tray and Squall grabs one. He hesitates about drinking it, and then glances at the dark haired dancer sitting on the stage. He brings the glass to his lips and stops.

"C'mon Squall, take it in one! You don't sip shots you dumbass!" Zell laughs. He scowls at his friends, opens his mouth and pours it down his throat.

"Atta boy! Here, have another!" Seifer says, taking the empty glass and replacing it with a fresh drink. Squall necks it quickly, ignoring the protest from his stomach. He takes the beer Irvine was thrusting in his face and swallows half of it without taking a breath of air.

Zell looks wistfully at the girls sitting at the stage. "Hyne this place is brilliant Seifer, can't believe I've never come here before. And you and Irvine came here _how_ often last semester?"

"Almost every weekend Zell, it's a great place to come to isn't it? What do you think Squall?" Irvine grins.

Squall downs his beer as fast as he can and reaches for another, he doesn't answer. He is determined not to say another word. The bottle he reaches for is picked up by Seifer.

"Well I think you've had enough of a break man, get over there and tell her you're ready." He smirks and pulls Squall to his feet. Seifer shoves him in the direction of the stage and he stumbles, nearly falling over. Squall turns to Seifer and scowls. He looks at the dark haired dancer under the spot light.

"You ready handsome?" she asks, taking a big sip of her drink. "Kat, can you pull out the chair to centre stage?"

The tall red-head disappears backstage and walks back out with a tall-backed chair.

"Er, um, I, er, ah…" he stammers, turning his head towards his friends who are waving their arms, trying to get him to say yes. She looks at him carefully. She slides off the stage onto her feet, and walks over to him. She leans into his chest, and whispers into his ear.

"Listen to me honey; ignore the looks your friends are giving you right now. If you're at all uncomfortable with the idea then feel free to say "no", I won't be offended if it's not your kind of thing."

Her breath tickled his neck and he breathed in her scent. Her smell was intoxicating, she smelled like the freshly spun sugar you get at carnivals. He feels his breath catch in his throat and coughs hard.

"N-no it's ok, I'll try anything once." His voice comes out in a strangled tone.

She pulls back and smiles at him. "That's what I like to hear. But if at any point you want me to stop, just say so. Though, if I don't sound too cocky, I've never had a client ask me to stop once I've started." She winks. He finds himself nodding.

"So… uh… right…"

She grabs his hand and pulls him up the stairs to the stage where Kat had placed a high backed chair in the very centre of the spot light. She pushes him into the seat and signals to her backstage companion.

_ Heaven is a Place On Earth starts playing- stick the track on YouTube to get the full experience as originally written)_

She walks around his chair, her hand sweeping across his shoulders. He shakes as her fingers glide up the back of his neck and through his spiked up hair, like an electrical current surging through his body.

She straddles his lap, slowly grinding against his hips. His eyes burn into hers as he feels his hands twitching madly, grasping the seat, and he tries to fight his urge to touch her. She plays with the buttons on his denim shirt, undoing them one at a time until she reaches his waist. She slides the material from his shoulders, her fingers stroking over his back.

He feels himself getting turned on, it wasn't like it had been difficult not to but it felt different this time, he tries resisting but he can't control himself. She swings her legs over on his lap swiftly, her back now facing him. She bends forward, hands on his knees, her back arched, her bum pressing hard against his stomach, and starts curling her hips into a circle.

He tries to think of unsexy things: chairs, vomit, dirty socks even Seifer's room! His thoughts dissipate as she turns back to face him, her breasts peeking out of the middle of her top, just waiting to be released. He swallows, gripping the chair base even harder.

_S_he tugs at his wrists and places them at the sides of her waist as she thrusts herself slowly in his arms, her mouth opening as she mimes the words to the song. He closes his eyes, picturing her sitting on top of him- both of them naked; his cock stiffens under her weight. She stops for a brief second, and doesn't look surprised; she must be used to men getting hard-ons while she dances on them. His hand reaches for her half descended zipper and she allows him to hold it in his fingers. He looks up at her face, his eyes begging her to take it off. She places her hand over his and guides the zipper down, her corset falling to the floor, revealing her bare breasts. Seifer, Irvine, Raijin and Zell start yelling in triumph.

"Oh my sweet Hyne!" Squall screamed inside his head. They were nothing like he'd ever seen; and he'd watched lots of porn videos over the last 6 months! Pert and perky, topped with a perfect pink nipple and just large enough to cup his hand around without any overspill.

She places her hands on his shoulders, grinding herself into his aching body. His erection pushes painfully against his jeans, his mind is spinning as she presses against him, her breasts so close to his face. He watches her breasts bouncing under his chin and shuts his eyes tightly. He was getting so close… He groans as she pushes down on him, thinking about how he would be inside her if his fly was down. He bites his tongue as penance for his wicked thoughts.

His hands grip her waist, pulling her down as she thrusts against him, he fights the urge to buck his hips with hers, as if they were doing it right there on the stage.

"Deep breaths, Squall, keep your eyes closed and keep breathing!" he chants inside his head. He wants to take one of her breasts into his mouth, to suck on her nipples, to nibble on her soft skin. His tongue licks his lips as she leans into him, drinking in her scent. His eyes snap open.

Unable to stop himself his hands run up her back to her shoulders and pulls her towards him; crashing his lips against hers in a frenzy, his tongue pushing past her lips, tasting her, needing her. She was as sweet as he imagined. She didn't respond to his kiss though.

The music comes to a screeching halt and the room goes deathly silent. Squall looks into Rinoa's eyes, his lips still pressed on hers. She placed her hands on his shoulders and his heart skipped a beat. Until she pushed him against the back of the chair and pulled his hands from her back. He blinks at her masked face. She stands up from his lap and grabs her corset from the floor. Holding it to her chest she runs from the stage, without saying a word, leaving him there by himself. Her two colleagues followed suit quickly.

He looks at the row of chairs where his friends were standing. Seifer was there shaking his head.

"You fucking _dumbass_." exclaimed Irvine while Zell and Raijin nodded in agreement, their eyes wide in shock.

_Huh? What just happened? Did I do something wrong?_

What seems like an eternity later; though it was actually seconds in reality, a very tall, well-built man walks out from backstage. His face has a grim expression plastered over it. He yanks Squall up from the chair by the back of his half open shirt and looks onto the other guys.

"Alright boys; show's over so get out! NOW!" he bellows.

**End of chapter**

**Author's note:** I'M BACK! WOOHOO! YEAH BABY! Phew, now I've got that out of my system, thanks for reading. To my loyal fans and new readers, hello! I've been working on my plot lines for all unfinished stories since I lost everything on my mum's computer when I finally moved out. I am trying to remember where I was going with the stories but please be patient while I figure it all out! I am aiming to complete **at least 2 **stories in the next 6 months. I don't know where the inspiration has come from but now it's back I'll be damned if I lose it again!

I have started several random future chapters for Love at Angels' and have almost completed the entire storyline in the last 10 days, so it is likely I will have this fic finished first. I may abandon my more complicated stories temporarily but rest assured I hope to continue with them towards the end of the year. Thanks for coming back, let me know what you think!

Next Chapter: Squall faces the music for his actions while Rinoa is feeling shell-shocked and confused. Less than an hour later they are at each other's throats in the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Last Chapter**

The music comes to a screeching halt and the room goes deathly silent. Squall looks into Rinoa's eyes, his lips still pressed on hers. She placed her hands on his shoulders and his heart skipped a beat. Until she pushed him against the back of the chair and pulled his hands from her back. He blinks at her masked face. She stands up from his lap and grabs her corset from the floor. Holding it to her chest she runs from the stage, without saying a word, leaving him there by himself. Her two colleagues followed suit quickly.

He looks at the row of chairs where his friends were standing. Seifer was there shaking his head.

"You fucking _dumbass_." exclaimed Irvine while Zell and Raijin nodded in agreement, their eyes wide in shock.

_Huh? What just happened? Did I do something wrong?_

What seems like an eternity later; though it was actually seconds in reality, a very tall, well-built man walks out from backstage. His face has a grim expression plastered over it. He yanks Squall up from the chair by the back of his half open shirt and looks onto the other guys.

"Alright boys; show's over so get out! NOW!" he bellows.

**Chapter Five**

**Aftermath**

Squall blinks in the spotlight as he is pulled by his collar off the stage and frog marched out of the door, his friends well ahead of him. He is shoved down the stairs and walked to the club's entrance, passing other dancers and waiting customers. The receptionist stares at him as her boss leads the private party through the front door.

The door slams behind him, his mind in a daze.

"Wha… What the hell just happened?" he asks, turning to his friends who are standing in a huddle, looking less than happy. His jacket is thrown into his face.

"You, you fucking moron! You broke the fucking rules and got us kicked outta there, that's what happened!" Seifer moans. Squall pulls his jacket from his face and shoves his arms in the sleeves.

"What rule did I break? That poster said nothing about-"

"Yes it did! The rule about boundaries is heavily implied! She's not some sort of _hooker _man! What were you expecting to happen when you shoved your tongue down her throat?!" Irvine shouts. "You are so lucky she didn't _floor_ you for that act of stupidity! If she hadn't gotten off the stage we'd have been in serious trouble! Her boss is a decent guy, just be thankful he didn't throw you out on your arse in the literal sense!"

Squall rubs his neck in annoyance. His eyes flash in anger.

"So what the hell did you guys think I would do, sit still like a good boy while she shoved her tits under my nose and ground herself against my crotch?"

"YES!" they all shouted at him. He jumped back in surprise. Seifer stepped forward towards him.

"Look Squall, you forget that Irvine and I have been coming here for a year now; we know the rules inside and out. We reminded you what you were expected to do for that dance right before you went up there! Hyne… and you wonder why I call you 'Puberty Boy' sometimes! You acted like a fifteen year old in there!"

"We thought you'd get all uptight and walk off before she got halfway through the dance; never did we imagine you'd actually sit there and take it!" Irvine remarked.

"I hope that you haven't gotten us banned for life because of your stupidity, ya know."

"My first visit to a strip club and you get us kicked out in less than half an hour! That is so embarrassing!" Zell exclaims.

"Ok, ok! I screwed up! But it wasn't _you_ in that chair was it?"

"That's not the point; we all knew we'd have to display some self-control if it had been us in your position. And most of us have controlled ourselves!" Irvine snarled.

"Hell, if we wanted some action, we'd go to our girlfriends!" Seifer interjected harshly. Squall saw red.

"'Girlfriends?' What the hell are you talking about Seifer? If Quistis was really your girlfriend you wouldn't come to a place like this! Isn't it an insult to her, knowing you come here to drool over strippers? Irvine; you have one night stand after one night stand; you never stick to just one girl! So do not tell me how I could have behaved when you are no better!"

He is shortly met with Seifer's fist in his face. He falls to the ground and looks up from his position on the dirty floor at his taller companion.

"You deserved that one man, you were way outta line. C'mon let's get you home." Irvine says softly as he offers him his hand but Squall slaps it away.

"I can see you're too pissed to talk some sense into. Face it; you are the one in the wrong here Squall, not us."

"Are you fucking kidding me?! You drag me here against my will, I behave how I assumed you wanted me to and you still don't take any responsibility for any of it?!"

"Oh we do feel responsible!" Seifer says sarcastically. "We feel responsible for you pouring the alcohol down your own throat, for you walking onto the stage by yourself and for you kissing the dancer _we_ paid to give you a lap dance, and getting us kicked out of the club. Yeah, you're right; it's _our_ fault and nothing that happened in there was of your own doing. Grow the fuck up! I'm heading back home."

Seifer walks off down the street to the taxi rank to wait in line. Raijin follows him along with Zell and Irvine in tow. Squall sits on the cold concrete floor rubbing his jaw.

_What the fuck did I do?!_

**Back inside the club**

Rinoa had locked herself in the changing room and was refusing to come out. When she had fled the stage she had ripped the mask from her face and started hyperventilating. Fisher had taken it upon himself to kick the group out immediately after that. After all, she hadn't seemed in the right frame of mind to kick ass like she normally would when a customer tried it on. That guy had affected her in a negative way, he would bet the club's income for a year on that!

"C'mon Rinny, it's ok, you can come out now!" Selphie coaxed her friend. "Boss sent them packing so it's ok to come out!"

The catch on the door clicked and the door opened a few inches. A cloud of smoke poured through the gap. Selphie heard her walk back to the bench, taking shaky breathes as she inhaled a cigarette.

"Are you ok?" she asked as she pushed the door open. Rinoa was sitting there, her corset sitting beside her, half of her tousled hair extensions in a heap on the floor, with a look of complete agony marring her features, tears dripping down her chin as she pulled out more of the fake hair.

"I've never seen you like this before, did he hurt you at all?!"

"No, he didn't hurt me."

"So why are you reacting like this, all he did was kiss you-"

"I just don't understand Selphie!" she cried out. "I don't know why I couldn't just slap him like everyone else who'd done it before! Or why he rattled me so much! It happened and I didn't do anything to stop him!"

"Hyne, you make it sound like he raped you up there! Get a grip!" Selphie scoffed, rolling her eyes. Rinoa's eyes flashed fire.

"I liked it ok?! I liked the way he kissed me and I wanted to kiss him back!" she shouted, pulling the final extensions from her head. "I _wanted_ to kiss him! I've never wanted to kiss anyone back before!"

Rinoa wanted to add how he'd made her feel with his ravenous kiss, but she flushed at the very thought. It had felt so good but so wrong at the same time.

Selphie blinked her large green eyes at Rinoa, taking it all in. She seemed so sure of herself; but how could one random guy knock her down to this wreck after a kiss? She needed to get through to her.

"Ok darling, listen to me right now; he is a _nobody_, just like all the other faceless customers we see here every day. You didn't kiss him back in the end did you? You resisted and acted professional- missing the ass kicking you normally dish out anyway. You're never going to see him again if Fisher has his way so don't worry about it. Look why don't you take off early tonight, a good night's sleep is what you need right now."

Selphie kisses Rinoa's forehead and goes out of the room, leaving her with her thoughts. After a few minutes deliberation she stood up from the bench. She threw her pink t-shirt and jeans back on and gathered up her stuff. Her keys jangle from her wrist as she walks to the back door. She looks at the door Selphie had walked out of and sighs.

"You don't get it Selphie; I _want_ to see him again..."

Outside the club Squall had watched his friends hail a cab and leave him on the pavement. Fine, he'll walk home. Screw them! He pulls out his fags and lights one, trying to remember the way out of the dock area.

He staggers his way through the street, following the direction of passing cars. After twenty minutes of walking in the dark, he is almost ready to give up and call Seifer to come fetch him. Out of the corner of his eye he spots the pub he'd been in just a few hours earlier. Thank goodness he remembered the way from there. He scuffs his shoes on the pavement, stuffing his hands into his jacket as he stumbles on the path.

It was a warm summer's night but he feels a rushing cold sweat come over him. His shirt is still unbuttoned. He suddenly feels queasy and dizzy, feeling an ominous lunge in the pit of his stomach. He looks up the street for any potential spectators; and seeing no-one else around, he hurls his guts into a nearby drain. Tears stream down his face as he retches, he holds himself against a wall, crouching over it as he emptied his stomach. Well there goes his hangover for tomorrow- every time he threw up after an excessive night out; he would wake up without so much as a headache. He sobered up as a result. He wipes his eyes and continues walking down the road towards the house.

* * *

Rinoa parks her bike in front of the house and turns the alarm on, locking her helmet and gloves in the under seat compartment. She looks up at the house, the lights were still out. Either nobody had come back or they were all asleep. She opens the door carefully and steps inside. She notices a bunch of coats hanging over the banister and realises they were home.

She removes her shoes and tiptoes up the two sets of stairs to her new room. She looks at the door opposite hers and wonders who she has for a neighbour. Hopefully she will find out soon.

She shuts her door and changes out of her clothes into her pyjamas- a slim fitting t-shirt and short set adorned with a white cloud motif. Her fingers touch her lips, she thinks about the guy she danced for and how his lips felt pressed against hers. She remembers how his hands had grasped at her, pulling her into his chest and mouth. She shivers slightly and decides to go downstairs make herself a hot chocolate. After the day she'd had, a warm drink would soothe her spirits. As she slips on her fluffy mule slippers she hears the front door slam shut, realising that someone else was getting in late too. She heard them make their way to the back of the house, indicating their new location as the kitchen.

_Well, better make a formal introduction while I have the chance._

Squall entered the dark house in a bad mood; his sickness episode had exhausted him and made him hungry. He strode through the hallway into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. He opened the fridge and saw all but one shelf devoid of food barring a few zappy sandwiches. There was the milk Irvine had used on their brews earlier that afternoon. They were all due to visit the supermarket in the morning but Irvine had bought some quick items for them to eat if they couldn't wait until then. He inspects the contents on the filled shelf- nothing particularly jumped out at him, what he really fancied was a filling snack, the other items required too much effort.

He grabs a microwaveable breakfast burrito from the shelf and opens the microwave to find a bowl of food sitting in there. He pulls it out and lifts the Cling Film covering it. He takes a sniff and licks his lips. He throws the burrito back into the fridge and whacks the microwave on for one minute. It pings, signalling the food was warmed up. He grabs a fork from the drawer and sits at the table, his back to the door and starts to eat. The food started satisfying his aching empty stomach.

Rinoa reaches the bottom of the stairs and hears the 'ding' of the microwave. She pads along the hallway and pushes the door open carefully. She sees Squall sitting at the table eating something out of a bowl. She sniffs the air and recognises the smell as the meal she had made before she came out to work. And this son of a bitch was eating it!

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!" she shouts angrily, causing her housemate to jump in his seat and shoot his head round. "_Who_ do you think you are?! That's my food you greedy bas-" she stops quickly, her eyes widen.

Squall had turned his head, a wide eyed guilty expression on his face as a stray noodle dangles from his mouth. He looks at her face and swallows his mouthful. His eyes narrow at her.

"You again… Care to complete that sentence?" he says slowly, dangerously. "I'm hungry and there's nothing in the house to eat. This was sitting in the microwave, its fair game."

It was him. The guy from the shop, the guy she danced with at the club, the guy who kissed her. He was… one of her housemates? This wasn't fair at all!

She swallows a lump in her throat and glares back at him. "I left a note on the fridge telling everyone not to touch it! That was my dinner! And you've eaten it you jerk!"

"So? A note on the fridge means nothing; if it is sitting in a communal area, it is free for anyone to eat." Squall shovels another forkful into his mouth. She clenches her fists at her sides, her temper flares.

"So? SO?! You helped yourself to food that wasn't yours and you don't give a damn! You haven't even said you were sorry! Do you have no respect for other people's belongings?!"

He scrapes the last bite into his mouth and smirks at her.

"Nope, none at all. Look it's really late and I've had a rough day, mind if we finish this spat another time? Nice food by the way, it really hit the spot." He says as he gets to his feet and shoves the empty bowl into the sink. He tries to leave the room but Rinoa stands in front of the doorway, blocking his exit.

"Step aside." He tells her firmly. She puts her hands on the doorframe, her brown eyes flashing fire.

"Make me, I am not moving." she dares him.

Squall weighs up the options in his head and chooses the simplest method: he grabs her by the waist and lifts her, turning on his heels to place her inside the kitchen and out of his way. Rinoa's eyes grow large in surprise.

_What in the…? _

Mid-twirl he freezes with her in his arms, the electrical surge beaming through his body, the same feeling he'd had when _she_ had touched him. It wasn't her, she was someone else and yet the feeling was there. The desire to be with someone again was very strong; he was projecting it onto the girl in his arms.

His thumbs had slid up the hem of her top when he had lifted her, they moved along her hips, feeling her curves under his hands. He looked at her face; her eyes wide open, a tint of colour flaming her cheeks, her pink lips were parted slightly in shock. He felt himself drawn to her mouth, like a moth to a flame. He gets inches from her face, his own lips parting, waiting for the contact with hers to come…

But instead of a kiss, Rinoa's hand contacts sharply with his cheek and he drops her onto the floor.

"What the f-"

"Don't touch me, how dare you fucking touch me!" she yells at him as he rubs his cheek. Hyne help him, hadn't he been hit enough times tonight?!

He gives her an angry look and she suddenly feels very frightened. Instead of speaking another word he turns and strides off to the staircase. She hears him go up the stairs and slam his door. Rinoa clenches her hands and bangs her fist onto the floor in anger. It had been so easy to slap him just now, so why hadn't she done it when he'd kissed her earlier? Why hadn't she brought herself to hit him like everyone else? Why was he affecting her this way?!

* * *

Squall shut his door quickly, feeling angry with himself. He flops onto his bead and punches his pillows in frustration.

"What the hell was I thinking, haven't I done enough stupid things tonight?!" he groans, holding the pillow over his face. He sees his housemate in his arms, her face flushed, her breathing heavy, her eyes wild and dark. He thinks about how close he'd been to crossing the line; their mouths had been so close to meeting.

An image of the dancer's masked face flashes before his eyes. He had wanted her, and had tried to relieve his frustration out on the very next girl he'd seen. What kind of animal had he become tonight?

He takes a deep breath and sits up slowly with the pillow under his chin, trying to replay the dance back in his mind. That dancer, that heavenly woman… that angel…

He closes his eyes and imagines he's back there in the club, sitting on the stage with her in his arms. He clenches his fists, remembering how her fingers ran through his hair and down his shoulders, stroking the bare skin of his chest. He tries to recall how her face looked as she smiled, how her breath tickled his neck, how soft her skin was under his palms, what she smelled like, how she tasted, the way she'd held his hand and helped him pull down the zipper on her top…

His jeans become tight again and he stifles a moan into his pillow. This time he didn't try to get his mind elsewhere, this time he needed to be satisfied. His hands tugged at the button on his jeans and pulled down the zipper. He needed to do it now, while the memory was fresh in his mind, and Hyne be damned if he was going to ignore it!

* * *

Rinoa was still sitting on the floor, her hands aching from her floor punching frenzy. She was so frustrated with herself, for letting things get this far. She knew exactly where his mind was when he had tried kissing her just now. He wasn't thinking of _her_, the person who had been chewing him out for eating her supper, he was thinking of her- the _dancer_, the one who had let him kiss her.

He'd held her twice tonight within the last 2 hours but both times had been so different. The first time, he'd looked at her masked face into her eyes, he'd been spellbound by her and had acted on it. He'd grabbed her tightly and had driven his tongue into her mouth with the greatest of passion. This time, he hadn't recognised her thankfully; he'd been so pissed by her refusal to move out of his way. But he'd come close to kissing her again.

If she hadn't resisted just now: how far would they have gone? Would they have made it to a bedroom or would they have done it right there in the kitchen on the table? Would she have let him get that far?

She shook her head as the dangerous thoughts plagued her mind. She knew that in the space of ten minutes, her wishes to see him again had faded and ebbed away once she had met him. His kiss may have heated her in a way she'd never felt before, but now; seeing him behaving all snotty and arrogant, the tiny flame he'd ignited in her had died pretty quickly.

How stupid she felt right then, if she'd realised that he was a complete twat before the dance, she'd have probably knocked him flat on his arse the instant he pulled her to his lips. But she'd stayed there; she'd allowed his lips on hers for 20 seconds too long. The instant the music had halted she had realised that she had done wrong. She'd looked into his crystal blue eyes with her mouth still on his. Her heart had screamed at her not to pull away but her mind screamed louder and she'd pushed him away.

She got to her feet; her desire for hot chocolate was completely gone. She switched off the kitchen light and padded through the dark hallway. She reached the stairs and sighed deeply.

_So much for making a good first impression. But damn it, why did it have to be him? Why was it his kiss and nobody else's?_

* * *

Squall gasped and groaned as he knelt on the floor, his hand aching from its current position. Dammit, he couldn't finish, every time he got close he ended up back at square one. This was the third time he'd tried.

He'd fantasised about his dancer, imagining her straddling his hips, her body grinding with his, skin to skin. He tried to remember everything he'd seen on her, or rather, not on her as time passed. He could hear her voice saying his name, the smell her skin, the taste her mouth… The only thing in his mind he did not have was her face; half of it was hidden behind the mask she'd worn. Then it hit him; he couldn't because he hadn't seen her face.

He made up his mind. He needed to see her again; he would find out who she was and make his dream a reality. But first things first; he had to deal with the situation at hand. He reached into an unpacked box and pulled out a magazine; he couldn't go to sleep like this!

**End of chapter**

**Author's note**: Two chapters in a week! I am on a roll right now! I get that the summary is a bit confusing but it will make sense soon. Right now our li'l Squall is just thinking with his trousers, once he gets to know Rinoa better, his desires will change from lust to love!

Currently I have between 25 and 30 chapters planned; it just depends on how much I fit into each chapter. It could be more than 30 but I won't make any promises!

**Next Chapter**: Squall is so determined to see his dancer again; he is willing to do anything just for the chance to get her on her own. Will her boss let him back inside or will he send him packing? Find out in Chapter Six: Return to Angels'!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review! Chapter Four had 91 views and 73 visitors in the last 4 days since I posted it up but only one real review- I don't mind anonymous ones!


	6. Chapter 6

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Last Chapter**

He made up his mind. He needed to see her again; he would find out who she was and make his dream a reality. But first things first; he had to deal with the situation at hand. He reached into an unpacked box and pulled out a magazine; he couldn't go to sleep like this!

This chapter has to be in two parts; I went overboard writing and got to 18 pages before I realised that

**Chapter Six: Return to Angels' Part One**

24th August

Morning broke through the windows at the back of the house; the warming light shining into Squall's bedroom. He opened his eyes and squinted as he sat up in bed. His hair was scruffy and sticky from the gel he'd used the night before, his clothes in a crumpled heap on the floor. He wiped the dried spit from the corner of his mouth and slowly climbed out of his bed, reaching for his cigarettes and lighter. It was ten past eleven and yet he was exhausted.

He'd had a rough night sleeping; all he could think about was his dancer, her masked face haunted his dreams and had woken him several times in a cold sweat. Tonight he would go back to see her and find out who she was.

But for now he had a lot of things to do- last night was a fair indicator that he needed to make several apologies, alongside stocking up the cupboards with food. He'd felt bad now he's slept somewhat, for eating his housemate's dinner, he was such an arse to her, and to Seifer and Irvine.

They'd only been trying to help him out; he had to admit he'd been unbearable in the last half year. And he was lucky he still had his 2 best friends helping him through the grief. They'd even been there for him when he'd made the horrible discovery that his girlfriend had been sleeping with another guy. Even after all this time, it was too painful to remember…

**Nearly 6 months ago… March 7****th****.**

He'd been hearing a lot of rumours that his girlfriend of two years, Allison, had been cheating on him. Granted a fair few of these had come from female classmates who had been enamoured with him; he'd thought they were shit stirring and had ignored their warnings. Allison had loved him for two and a half years, there was no way she would cheat on him, they'd been together since they were fifteen, shared all their firsts together, it was inconceivable that she would do something like this. There were too many gossiping busybodies in this university.

Then he'd heard it directly from a student in one of Allison's classes; a studious young man named Nida had come to him privately one night at the dorms to tell him what was going on.

"Look, I shouldn't be the one telling you this sort of thing, quite frankly it is none of my business," he'd said in his quiet voice. "But I think her treatment of you is disgusting. She is constantly flirting with the guys in our science lab classes. Her chemistry lab partner Trevor is a guy on the university track team and they have been getting too close to be 'just friends' anymore." he'd finger quoted the last words.

Squall felt his mouth go dry and shook his head.

"No, you're wrong! Allison would never do that to me. We've been together two years, and nothing's different. We're happy together, so why would she cheat on me? You must have her confused for another girl, because it certainly doesn't sound like Allison."

Nida shook his head and looked at him sympathetically. Squall felt a nasty tug in his heart.

"I know it's not what you want to hear but you can't say that you haven't been told about this before. Everyone in our class knows they've been at it for months. You're such a decent guy, I can't see it myself why she would go behind your back like this, but the matter of it all is that she _is_."

"I don't want to hear another word!" Squall had shouted. "You're lying and I can't listen to any more of this bullshit!"

"I'm sorry Squall, I really am. But I'm not lying. I really don't think you'll like what I say next... but she's in his dorm room right now. I was coming out of my room to go to the library and saw them; they went inside a half hour ago. That's why I came to tell you, so you could see it for yourself."

Squall was crestfallen. His girlfriend was with another man right now? Why was she doing this to him, he'd never mistreated her, he'd always worshipped the ground she walked on, he'd chosen Deling University to be with her instead of staying in Esthar to study. She hadn't wanted to break up just because they were going to different schools; it had been her idea when she'd told him she was going to a Galbadian university that he came with her. She'd told him she loved him so much and couldn't bear the separation, seeing him during holidays wouldn't be enough and wouldn't it be wonderful to see each other every day. And now she was cheating on him?

He'd tightened his fists, trying to hold back the tears. He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat.

"Where is she? Where is his room?" he'd asked shakily. "Tell me Nida."

"Block D, room 34, he'll have a tie hanging from the door handle." Nida admitted uncomfortably. "It's not the first time she's been in there, but I've only ever seen her leave before today… Do… d'you want me to come with you, for support?"

"No, I… I'll go by myself; I don't need anyone with me. Last thing I need is to be humiliated further by having an audience. But thanks for the offer. I… I appreciate it."

Squall had pushed past him, sprinting towards Block D. Nida turned to the door next to Squall's room and knocked on it loudly.

Seifer had opened the door, surprised to see Nida standing there.

"What's up?"

"Look, you need to go after Squall; he's headed to room 34 on Block D. I think… I think he'll need a friend with him. His girlfriend's in there with another guy and well…" he trailed off. Seifer understood what he was getting at and ran to Irvine's dorm room. If what Nida said was true, then Hyne knows how Squall will be when he got into that room!

He battered against Irvine's door and shouted loudly.

"IRVINE! Get your ass out here quick! I think Squall's gonna do something stupid, we've gotta go to him now!"

Squall's heart was beating in his chest, blood fizzing through his body. His muscles were aching and his mouth had a nasty taste over his tongue. He panted as he ran up the stairs, following the directions on the signs towards Block D. He turned onto a long corridor and rested his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. He glanced up the corridor at the directional sign above his head: Block D- Rooms 20-40. He was in the right place. Now to find this guy's room.

He saw a bright red strip of material dangling from a handle 6 doors down the corridor. That was it, the den of iniquity that his girlfriend was inside of. He stumbled down the concrete path slowly, catching his breath. He stood outside the door, his hand reaching for the tie covered handle slowly. Then he heard it- the sound of his girlfriend screaming with delight.

He felt his heart jump into his throat. Something inside him snapped. He ripped the stupid tie off the door and grasped the handle. It was locked. Feeling rage building up inside him, he kicked the door hard with his foot, the lock snapped as the door flew open. He heard her scream in fright as the door bashed into the wall. He stormed into the room and saw her there, on the bed of the solo room with this other guy on top of her.

Her legs were resting over his shoulders, her face a bright red flush from their lovemaking. They were frozen in shock, staring at him as he stood near the bed. His breathing was heavy as he took in the situation.

"Squall?!" Allison exclaimed as she looked over at him. "I… I can explain! It… it's not-"

"It's not what I think?!" he screamed, finishing her sentence. His eyes filled with tears. "How can you say that to me while you've got another man's _cock_ inside you?! It's _exactly_ what I think it is! How could you do this to me?!"

The guy, Trevor, scrambled off Allison and wrapped a nearby towel around his waist. He started to approach the angered man as Allison wrapped the duvet around herself, his hands up above his head.

"Hey man, listen-" he started to say, but suddenly he had Squall's hand around his throat. Squall pushed him against the wall, lifting him from the floor. He was several inches taller than Squall, with more muscle, but Squall's blind rage had him defenceless.

"You! Don't you _dare_ speak to me! What gives you the right to talk to me when I have found you _fucking_ my girlfriend?!" he snarled in his face, the tears he'd held back now flowing down his cheeks.

"Squall, don't hurt him! Please, I'm really sorry! I never meant for this to happen!" Allison cried as she got to her feet.

"Don't move!" he yelled. "Stay right there. You say you're sorry? You're not sorry at all, you're only sorry that you've been caught! How long has this been going on behind my back? How long have you been fucking him for?!"

Allison stood where she was, her waist length blonde hair tousled, her hazel eyes sparkling with tears, she was so frightened and ashamed.

"TELL ME!" he shouted at her, not caring that she was looking at him with tears coming down her face. She had ripped his heart out and had stamped on it, why should he care that she was upset?

"Three months…" she whispered. Squall felt sick and his hand gripped Trevor's throat tighter. The taller man gripped Squall's arm, trying to free himself.

"Three months?! You've been at it for _three_ months?! I thought we were happy together Allison! What on earth possessed you? As far as I knew everything was fine, no, better than that! Hyne last month I even-"

"I was bored, ok?!" she yelled back at him, tears dripping down her face. "I was so sick of our routine that I wanted some excitement; we've been drifting apart since we came to university. I didn't want you to find out this way but I thought you knew it too-"

"You never said a damn word about it! How the fuck was I supposed to know that you were getting sick of me? We could tell each other anything! Dammit, we've been together _two_ fucking years and you didn't think to tell me it straight! I had to find out this way and it is by far, the shittiest way of being told you no longer love me!"

"But I _do_ love you Squall! I love you so much-"

"Not another fucking word, don't you _dare_ stand there and tell me you love me! If you loved me Allison, you wouldn't have been fucking another guy behind my back!" he cried out, his face red in anger. His wet eyes turned back to Trevor. "And you! You scumbag, does it make you feel like a big man, sleeping with someone else's girlfriend?" His hand tightened further around the man's neck.

"Squall, let him go." Irvine's voice said behind him.

Irvine and Seifer had finally showed up. They'd looked at the broken door and heard their best friend screaming inside the room. Seifer came in, followed closely by Irvine. They saw Squall holding Trevor up against the wall by his throat.

"C'mon bro, put him down, he isn't worth it. Neither of them are." Seifer said softly, as his emerald eyes burned into the hazel orbs of Allison's.

Squall released his hold on Trevor and turned to face Allison again. She was shaking as his eyes looked her over.

"Please… please say you'll forgive me Squall. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She whispered. She looked so vulnerable and sincere that Squall almost hesitated. If he forgave her, then how many times would she just do it to him again?

He walked over to her and grabbed her hand; she looked up at him hopefully. Instead he yanked the ring he'd given her on Valentine's Day from her finger. He'd proposed to her, asked her to marry him after graduation, but she had worn the ring without giving him a definite answer. He now had it.

"We're done here Allison, its over. I never want to see you again!" Tears ran down his face as he rushed out of the room, leaving the four of them inside. Trevor rubbed his throat and Allison crumpled to the floor in tears.

"She's a free agent now mate, good luck with that." Irvine said as he left the room with Seifer.

They walked the corridor to the corner and saw Squall hurling his guts up over the side of the building. He stopped, taking deep shaky breaths as he gripped the wall, looking at the massive drop down to the pavement, and for a good few seconds he felt like throwing himself over it.

Deep down he'd known it was true; the evidence had been there since October but he'd ignored it; lots of late night "study sessions" which meant they couldn't meet up, she cancelled dates with him because she had been "too tired" to go out, she'd always excused herself when her phone rang and she'd been putting more effort into her appearance even when he'd told her that she looked amazing without having to try. She hadn't been doing it for him, her boyfriend; she'd been doing it for another guy.

"Are you ok man?" Seifer asked carefully. He knew was a stupid question to ask, of course Squall wasn't alright; he'd just broken up with the love of his life in the most horrible way. But he needed his friends right now, even if he wanted to be alone. Squall looked up at them; a different emotion plagues his once gentle eyes. He wiped them free of his tears and spoke in a tone they'd never heard before.

"Whatever. I'll have to be won't I?"

And with that, he'd walked down the stairs. With his best friends keeping a close eye on him every step of the way.

**Back to the present time.**

The break-up had been the worst event in his life to date, he'd changed over the following weeks into the person he was today. He'd become antisocial, moody and spiteful, and he'd even taken up smoking which he'd never done because Allison had told him it was a filthy habit.

Allison. She hadn't even tried asking him to take her back; she'd continued her relationship with Trevor. She knew full well that he'd been serious when he'd said it, but he had hoped she'd at least try to salvage the remains. Two years and she hadn't thought they were worth fighting for.

He was thankful Seifer and Irvine had talked him into getting tested soon after the break-up. He'd been given a clean bill of health but it hadn't stopped his thoughts spiralling out of control for the 4 days he'd had to wait for the results. He'd had images of STDs which he could have caught which had only increased his rage. How could she have done that to him?!

He shook the horrible thought from his mind; it was over, _they_ were over. He finally found someone, though mysterious and anonymous for now, that he wanted to start seeing. After nearly 6 months of being alone, he felt ready to start dating again.

He grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom on the next floor. He had a busy day ahead of him, it was best if he cleaned himself up for it!

* * *

Rinoa too, had slept badly. The events of the previous night haunted her dreams. She berated herself for reacting as she had, it was only a bit of food, it was replaceable. She couldn't believe how childish she'd been about it. She had let Squall's behaviour get to her, and she felt ashamed. She never spoke to anyone like that, especially over something so insignificant. Even though he had tried to kiss her, what she'd done was an overreaction. She could have just pushed him away instead of slapping him.

She made up her mind, and decided she would apologise to him when she saw him next. What a way to start off the new academic year by assaulting one of her housemates for eating her food. What sort of person did she look like for doing that? She felt like a spoiled brat, throwing a tantrum like that over some bloody food.

He may have rattled her at work but she had brought it home with her and had taken it out on him- keep your personal and professional lives separate was what Fisher had told her when she had started there. There was no room in that business for grudges, they affected your performance and it wouldn't get you very far if your behaviour is out of line. The only time you could behave like that and get away with it was in self-defence.

She remembered the first client who had tried it on, he had been the worst of them all. He was a middle aged man, not much older than her father, very grabby, and quite lecherous. He'd tried pulling down her panties and when she had reacted, he'd defended himself by saying he was only putting a note into the waistband. He had yanked them too far down for it to have been a mistake and she'd punched his lights out for doing it. She knew she'd need to be tough to do that kind of job, you may be dancing provocatively and taking off your clothes for a client, but it didn't mean they could treat you like a common prostitute.

Fisher had been very pleased showing her the tape afterwards, of how she'd sent him on his arse. Rinoa had felt horrible but learned that not all clients were animals. She'd had two propose to her mid dance, which had been flattering, they'd sent her gifts and promised her a life of comfort if she would just run away with them. It sounded romantic but she'd politely declined them. She'd promised herself wouldn't give up her job for any man, under any circumstances.

She wouldn't be doing it forever, only until her final year was over. That the money earned from the last year of her education working at the club would pay the deposit for an apartment when she started her dream job. She only had 2 years left, she'd been planning this since she was 4 years old, playing with her teddies, pretending they were in desperate need of surgery. Grown-ups thought her innocent play was cute and even cooed over her determination to be a doctor, but they thought it a passing fancy, that she'd change her mind many times before she became an adult.

She hadn't outgrown the idea, she'd set a ten year plan for herself, to attend the best school, get into a medical career as a surgeon and then would aim to climb the career ladder to a high ranking hospital director.

She had no plans for boyfriends and the other events that would often follow. Maybe one day, when she was where she wanted to be she'd like a boyfriend but they would have to understand that she would never put them before her career, an woe betide them if they tried to make her choose. Marriage was not even on the list, she'd be married to her job. She knew she was too ambitious but she also knew she couldn't juggle a career _and_ a relationship.

And as for kids… well she'd never really been one to go gooey eyed over them, she thought they were sweet but felt no desire for one of her own at all. She'd felt this way a long time and her views hadn't changed at all. Her father wasn't too bothered if he never had grandchildren either, which she never fully understood; it'd be the end of the bloodline, his family legacy.

Her father, the general, had always hoped his only daughter would take up a military career; a tactician had been his favourite position since she was a very bright girl. She hated violence with a passion; his suggestion had been dismissed very quickly. He had even tried to enrol her into the army when she was 16, which had resulted in her botching the entrance exam on purpose, embarrassing him in front of his superiors.

He'd soon learned to leave her career to her, and not to interfere. Except when it came to paying tuition and board, he had no idea how she would fund her own education when she had told him he could keep the money himself. She had gone out and got herself a job herself without his help. She hated asking for help more than anything. But she never told him what job she'd gotten, he'd be so disappointed in her if he knew. Not to mention in hospital himself from heart failure!

She'd enrolled herself into Deling University a year ago, excelling at her studies in high school; she'd been accepted when she was 17 and had started the September of that year. It had been unheard of to attend university early but her dedication and determination to succeed had impressed the tutors and the University's board of directors had agreed to take her on. Once she graduated, she would be the youngest qualified doctor in the country, and that alone would be bound to amaze her future employers at Esthar Royal Hospital.

She got herself dressed as she played a light tune on her laptop. She really enjoyed listening to music, besides dancing, it was a favourite pastime of hers. She never had any particular favourite songs, but on her rare Friday or Saturday nights off work she'd go out to Loveless- the nightclub in Deling favoured by students. She'd dance all night listening to remixes of classic tunes.

She hardly ever had these nights off, much to her persistence, but Fisher insisted that all of his girls had at least one of these nights off, he always scheduled Rinoa's 12 weeks apart, giving the other girls a Friday or Saturday night off every 6 weeks. Rinoa preferred to work weekends, they brought in the most revenue, especially at the end of the month when most salary workers got paid. Selphie had been right about managing to earn up to 300 Gil in a night- it was always the weekends that brought in this amount of cash. Most nights she earned 170 Gil in 'tips' on top of her hourly rate of 38 Gil.

It had been low when she started and she wasn't the highest paid dancer there, but she had ideas which had worked and had brought in more customers. She still wasn't paid more for it but the new venture of private shows was certain to earn her more. Enough to start her deposit balance off until next year. She planned on saving the income from the private shows towards this, which reminded her that she needed to make an appointment at the bank to open a second savings account. She had 3 accounts now; one for school fees which were due at the end of each semester, one for living expenses (rent, utilities, mobile, internet etc) and petrol costs and another for her wages to be paid into which she sometimes used for treating herself. Every week she would work on her accounts, transferring Gil everywhere, making sure she had enough plus spare in each one for her bills. Deling was an expensive city to live in, she needed to make sure she had enough to live on and enough to save away.

The track on her laptop changed as she heard her next door roommate shut his door. Whether he was coming in or going out she didn't know, the next tune started playing. She smiled at the sound of the song. She never could resist swaying to the music of Mucho Mambo.

"When marimba rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway. Like the lazy ocean hugs the shore. Hold me close, sway me more!" she sang as she spun around the room, swishing her hips to the addictive beat. She had never heard it play at the club; it wasn't the type of music the clients enjoyed unfortunately. She swung her hips from side to side, allowing the bouncy music to take her over as she danced. One more song, she decided, and then she'd go for her shower.

* * *

Squall stood under the hot rushing water of the shower, feeling it cleansing him of last night's farce. He grabbed his shampoo and scrubbed it into his scalp, washing the gunky feeling out of his hair. He massaged it in hard, as if he was punishing himself. While rinsing out of his hair he had thought about what a prick he had been to the guys last night.

What would be the best way to apologise to them for his ghastly behaviour? Just saying it wouldn't be enough; especially if they're still pissed off at him. Maybe he could take them out for lunch or something to show them that he valued what they'd done for him, for putting up with his foul attitude over the last 6 months. He'll make it right with them; they'd been friends too long for grudges to be held. He'll show them that the shell of a man he'd become was gone and that the old Squall was back at long last!

He climbed out of the shower and stood in front of the sink, ready to shave off his stubble. He squirted shaving foam onto his palms and smothered his chin. Brandishing his trusty razor, he began scraping off the creamy liquid, taking care as he got the awkward bits under his nose and under his chin. Once he was finished he splashed his face and patted it dry with his towel. He wrapped it around his waist and grabbed his smaller hand towel.

Rubbing it furiously over his dripping wet chestnut hair, his mind wanders to his predicament with his female housemate. How could he apologise to her, how could he explain his actions this morning in the kitchen without him looking crazy? He could lie and say he was drunk; but that wouldn't make him look good, it would make him look like a pervert. Telling the truth would probably get him slapped again; what girl wants to hear that she'd reminded him of an exotic dancer he'd seen in a strip club? He couldn't see her being flattered; she hadn't seemed like the type who had a good sense of humour.

He walks out of the bathroom, his smaller towel sitting over his shoulders. He looks at the other end of the hallway and sees Rinoa opening the door to the second bathroom. Her eyes locked onto his briefly and her face flushed red before she quickly walked inside and closed the door behind her, the sound of the lock clicking into place. Squall couldn't blame her reaction, but knew he'd make it right once he found the words. He walks up the stairs to his room.

* * *

Rinoa's heart was beating fast in her chest. She stood with her back against the door, berating herself for not saying sorry straight away but it hadn't been the right time. He'd been standing there in just a towel and she hadn't wanted to hold him up. The flush was still evident on her face; just seeing him there, almost naked, had given her a very wicked thought.

She had seen his bare chest the night before but it had been seen through disco lights so it hadn't been very vivid, this time she'd seen every rock hard muscle dripping wet from his shower, she had wanted to walk over there and lick every drop of water from his pecs and six pack. He definitely worked out; there was no way a body like that hadn't been punished with weights and rigorous training. He definitely wasn't gay, not if last night was an indicator. She wondered what sports he was into; with abs like that she figured he did combat sports like karate or kendo.

She opened the window, took off her dressing gown, climbed into the shower and switched it on. She washed herself with the Bubble Gum Bath Foam, it doubled as a very potent shower gel. She loved how it smelled; like candy floss mixed with strawberries and it only released its scent in water. It was her favourite, she hardly ever needed to wear perfume when she had washed herself with it, it was so fragrant. It was also her best kept secret; it was only available in specialist stores and even then it was a pre-order only item. She'd been asked loads of times what she used but she never divulged the information.

She washed her hair with shampoo and used her special conditioner; she needed a bit of pampering after last night's events. She was back in work tonight and she needed to be on the ball, Fisher had two private dances booked; one at nine and another at eleven. Word was getting round, it definitely helped the business gain more revenue.

She stepped out of the shower, enjoying the clean feel as the air coming through the open window caressed her wet skin. It exhilarated her; she loved the cold feeling on her skin. A guilty pleasure of hers was to stand outside in the pouring rain in her shorts and vest, catching the rain drops on her tongue.

She picked her towel off the rack and dried herself in the steamy room, her hair glistening from the heavenly treatment she'd given it. She squirted body lotion onto her hands and rubbed it into her legs, paying close attention to her knees as usual. She always felt much better after a shower, it washed away all the dirty feelings she had after a bad night.

* * *

Squall shuffled his feet awkwardly as he knocked on Seifer's door. Irvine hadn't answered when he had knocked on his so he had assumed they were in Seifer's room. The door remained closed, and he couldn't hear anyone inside. Had they gone out already without him?

He plodded down the stairs and heard Seifer's voice and Irvine's laugh coming from the kitchen. Phew. So they hadn't left yet, he braced himself as he stood outside the door.

He pushed it open and all conversation stopped. They were sitting at the table with fresh coffee in front of them. Irvine had been eating one of the breakfast sandwiches he'd dismissed earlier this morning. Squall was almost certain it was the one he'd almost eaten.

"Good morning guys." Squall said hesitantly. They didn't respond, they only stared at him. Seifer lit up a cigarette. Squall felt the uneasy lump making its way back up his throat and coughed.

"Err, that was some night huh?" he chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Look, I know I behaved like an ass yesterday, but is there anything I can do or say to make it up to you two?"

Seifer looked up from his coffee, his smouldering Embassy hanging from his mouth. He looked to the ceiling, a thoughtful expression on his face. Irvine stroked his chin in thought. It was Seifer who spoke first.

"What kind of stuff are you willing to do for us Puberty Boy?" he asked, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. Squall's eyes narrowed.

"Stuff? What do you mean? Just tell me what I have to do and I'll do it, don't fuck around with me, just tell me what'll get you guys to forgive me. I'm sorry alright?!" he sighed heavily. "I've been horrible these last 6 months, a complete dickhead, and you two have helped me through the darkest times, you stood by me as I lashed out in the first few weeks, you never once told me to get over it, you let me rant and rave whenever I wanted and never told me off for speaking my mind. Last night I went too far, and I know saying sorry isn't enough after everything I put you through. That guy is gone now, the real me is back."

Seifer and Irvine looked at each other, and then back at Squall.

"So… what you're saying is you know you behaved badly and you want us to sweep it under the carpet and pretend that you weren't that person?" Irvine queried. Squall shook his head.

"No, that's not it; I've had an epiphany. You two are my best friends and it's about damn time I started treating you that way. At least let me do something to say thanks for holding my hand since the… since the break-up. Seifer, I was way out of line with that crack about Quistis and Irvine… well… I… uh…"

Irvine smirked. He knew Squall inside and out, the guy was so easy to read.

"I know what you're trying to say, but it was true, I'm not going to stay all pissy with you for that. You were drunk, hell we all were and maybe we all need to start on a clean slate, starting today. How about it Seifer? Should we forgive this dumbass or not?"

Seifer exhaled a large cloud of smoke into the kitchen air. He looked at his younger friend and shook his head. Squall nearly panicked, until he saw the trademark grin spreading on his face. Seifer stood up and clamped his hands on Squall's shoulders.

"You'd be lost without us, you know that don't ya? Hyne, you really need to watch your mouth when you're pissed, that stuff you spew under the influence can be lethal to the soul. Of course we'll forgive you, you stupid pillock."

"Ok I deserve the name calling, I'm just glad you're not punching me again, it really hurt!" Squall laughed.

"Yeah? Well that's what you get when you irritate a boxer, man, don't behave like that again and I won't use you as a punching bag." Seifer teased.

"Yeah, yeah sure."

Seifer's major was in Applied Sport Hospitality and Nutrition and he loved to box, he would qualify for the light weight category if he pushed himself further. He was happy to train and went to the gym, he'd even tried out in the ring but he didn't apply himself and lost his first bout.

Irvine was studying Animation and Graphical Design; he loved drawing from a very young age. He had excelled in art during high school, passing with the highest grades in both 2D and 3D. He dreamed of creating video games, when he wasn't out, he could always be found playing on one of his many game stations, looking for inspiration from one of his collection of 100+ games, trying to find a genre which had yet to be uncovered.

Squall was majoring in Law and Political studies- not his choice. With his dad being who he was, it was expected of him to follow in the man's footsteps. He knew where he would be once he graduated, he was offered the chance for some "in house training" but because he hadn't wanted to be parted from Allison, he'd requested to go to University and was given the all-clear to go, provided he took up the subjects that were relevant.

It bored him to death; he already knew most of the curriculum, having grown up around it for years, he often played around on his laptop during class and passed each assignment he was given. When he'd taken a 2 week sabbatical after the incident with Allison, he'd come back to find a huge test waiting for him. He hadn't known about or studied for it, and took it nonetheless, and had come out top of the class in the results chart. His time in University was being wasted, but he hadn't brought it upon himself to go back home. It was pretty much his last chance for freedom before politics became his regular routine.

"Hey, you wanna see what we got last night?" Irvine waves his phone in Squall's direction. Squall's brow furrows in confusion.

"Huh? We got kicked out if I remember it correctly. Did you get one of the girls' number or something?"

Irvine laughed. "No, you idiot. We got the whole dance on film. To 'preserve the memory'. The quality isn't the best, you don't see every little detail, but still, we have a video of you losing your dignity. Want me to send it to you?"

He almost told him to delete the video… but he really wanted to watch it.

"Hand it over and let me see it."

* * *

Rinoa got herself dressed into jean shorts and a dark green long sleeved t-shirt. Her damp hair was held up in a twisted ponytail with a tiger grip. She could wait to dry it until later, she was starving. Having not finished her dinner the night before, she felt like she could eat a horse. She thought of the bacon she had in the fridge waiting for her. She would so be having that on a sandwich!

She locked her room, sticking the key in her back pocket and headed for the stairs. She came down a level and looked at the 3 bedrooms on the second floor, wondering which one held the housemate she had seen last night. She felt like she could be the bigger person and apologise first but she didn't know what room he was in. She'd feel like an idiot of she knocked on each one, just to find out she had the wrong guy.

She was coming down the final set of stairs and she heard a familiar tune playing in the kitchen. Her heart stopped, it was the song she'd danced to last night. She slowly walked to the kitchen and she hears voices coming from inside. She felt a horrible sense of dread as she listened behind the door.

"Whoa, check them out, what a pair!" Came a heavily accented voice from the other side of the door. She recognised that voice.

"I know, but c'mon man, it's not like we haven't seen them before." Another voice sounded. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. She knew the owner of that voice too.

"Aaaaand there you go, diving right in there down her mouth!" the first guy said excitedly.

"C'mon guys, enough with the play by play, I can see it myself. How many times have you watched this already?" She heard him in there too.

It was them; two of the other guys who had been there last night. They'd filmed her dance, and now they were playing it in the kitchen. They were laughing at the video. The music stopped. She reached for the handle to open the door, thinking it was safe to go inside.

"I still can't believe how you pounced on her like that! My word Squall, you couldn't keep your hands off!" the second guy remarked. She hesitated, her hand holding the cold metal bar.

"Yeah but I got us kicked out for doing it remember?" he laughed.

Squall… So that was his name.

"Worth it though, right? How was it? How did she taste?"

"Ahhh, I'm not one to kiss and tell Irvine, I'm not you." Squall chuckled.

"C'mon bro, don't you dare hold out on us now! We'll keep on at you until you tell us. How was she?" Irvine asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

Rinoa felt angry right then, her hand gripping the door handle. How dare they speak of her like that?

"Ok, ok! Calm down, I'll tell you. If you must know she was-"

Rinoa had heard enough. She pushed the door open to see them all sitting around the table. The tall blonde guy she recognised instantly. He and the cowboy at the table were regulars at the weekends last year. They looked up to see her standing there. She prayed her anger wasn't showing on her face as she forced a smile at them.

"Hi, so at last we meet!" She looked around the table to see the blonde and two brunettes staring at her. Squall's face was red in embarrassment.

_Shit, do they recognise me?!_

"Sorry, did I come in at a bad time? I didn't mean to, but I need to cook up some breakfast. Well, late lunch." She admitted with a smile.

None of them answered. Squall shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The taller two men were looking at their central companion in confusion.

She walked past the table to the fridge, her face a hot pink as the cold air hit her. She rummaged through her shelf looking for the bacon, aware of the three pairs of eyes staring at her. She reached for a large frying pan and switched on the stove. She cooked in silence for a few minutes; none of the men at the table spoke either.

She walked to the cupboard next to the table and grabbed a plate for her bread. She felt really uncomfortable having them stare at her. It might be ok in work but here she was a private citizen more or less.

"Excuse me but is there something on my face?" she asked, turning to the three men at the table.

"No… no. We were just… um…talking…" Irvine stuttered as he shoved his phone in his pocket.

_Ok so they don't recognise me. I need to break the ice here; it is so tense being in this room._

"Ahhhh! I get it." She said knowingly with a wink. "You were talking about guy stuff. Well feel free to keep talking, it's not gonna bother me."

Squall choked on his coffee. No way would he continue with _that_ conversation! She'd probably lamp him again if she put two and two together.

Rinoa raised her eyes at Squall's spluttering form.

"Ok forget I said that. Let's start again. Hello. My name is Rinoa and I'm a second year med student. And you would be…?" she gestured to the blonde.

Seifer stood up and offered her his hand. "Seifer. Sport and nutrition, also second year."

She took his hand in hers and gave it a shake. "That's more like it, who is next?" she smiled.

Irvine also stood and reached for her hand.

"And I'm Irvine; I'm studying Animation and Graphics. It's very nice to meet you Rinoa."

She smiled back at him. "It's a pleasure Irvine. And you would be…?" she gestured to Squall.

Squall didn't reply to her, he grunted instead. She narrowed her eyes at him, which was not unseen by Irvine and Seifer.

"Not much of a talker, are you? Don't tell me you're shy?" _More of a physical being I'll bet, judging from last night's behaviour!_

"Whatever."

_Hmpf, well suits you sir! You wanna play that game huh?_

"Ignore him Rinoa, it's just his way." Seifer inputted. "He's always like this so don't worry if he comes off as rude."

"I see that." She laughed as she walked back to the stove. _Boy do I see that, he's the guy who'll try it on with you after eating your food without apologising! The true definition of rude!_

She flipped the bacon out of the pan and onto her waiting bread plate. She was starving!

"So you're a sophomore too? How come we've never seen you on campus before Rinoa?" Seifer asked. Squall's eyes burned into hers as she looked in his direction.

"Oh, you know, medical training is so time arduous and time consuming, I mostly stayed in the library last year studying." She replied, taking a heavenly bite from her sandwich. "I hardly had anytime to socialise, other than that I just slept."

"Little bookworm then are you?" Irvine teased. She shrugged as she swallowed her food.

"Yeah, but you gotta hit the books hard if you want to be in the medical field." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Damn, is that the time already? Listen guys, it's been fun but I need to shoot off. Text books to buy and all that jazz. Also some pig got into my food last night; need to hit the supermarket this afternoon too." She shot Squall a look, which made him squirm.

_So she _is_ still mad about that? At least she hasn't said anything else. I'll catch her on her own later to apologise properly._

Irvine and Seifer's eyes swung back and forth at the two of them, like they were watching a game of tennis. Something was definitely going on, why was he being so awkward with her in the room. Unless…

"Where are you headed to? We're on our way out too; maybe we could give you a lift?" Irvine volunteered.

"Thanks but I can get where I need to myself. I need to do a petrol run anyway cos my bike's low on juice. I wouldn't want to intrude on your guy time."

"That blue Suzuki GS 500 out front is yours? Wow, it's a gorgeous piece of machinery." Seifer commented. "Wait a sec, you don't think we're…you know?"

"No, no, of course I don't think that. I learned last night that one of you is _definitely_ straight." She said pointedly at Squall who shrunk back in his seat.

_Oh no, don't go there! If you do then there is no way I am apologising for it!_

"I really have to go now but I'll see you around sometime. Bye guys." Rinoa walked past the table without looking back and headed out of the door.

Seifer and Irvine looked at each other, then back to Squall, and then to Rinoa's retreating figure.

"Squall… what else did you do last night?" Seifer asked carefully.

"Nothing." He said simply as he chugged the last few drops of his coffee.

Irvine looked at the table and an idea came to his mind.

"Bro, you… you didn't-"

"What the fuck Irvine!? Nothing happened you pervert!" he erupted, slamming his hands on the table.

"So why all the hostility dude? You could cut the fucking tension in here with a knife the minute she came into the room!"

"Drop it! I am not talking about anything relating to last night. That chapter of my life is over. C'mon you two it's a fresh start, clean slate remember?"

"Ok, but it seems that particular chapter has left room for future developments." Seifer commented. Squall rolled his eyes in insolence.

"Whatever! Just leave it ok? Blank canvass from here on out. Let's go to the supermarket now, that bacon she cooked is making me hungry!"

* * *

Rinoa smirked as she heard Squall yell out in the kitchen as she headed up the stairs. They were grilling him about what had happened. Ha! It served him right. Maybe if he hadn't acted like such a twat before she came in, she'd have come to him later to apologise for shouting at him last night. She won't be offering him that courtesy now.

He was worse than she had imagined him to be, saying he was rude is an understatement. Bragging like that about kissing her, the very nerve! And those two egging him on, they were almost as bad.

She reached her room and shut the door behind her. Ok now she had to get on her motorbike leathers and double check her wallet for cash. The list of text books she needed sat on her desk; they were really expensive but a necessary evil if she wanted to pass the class. She reached for her phone sitting next to her alarm clock; her hand hovered over the tiny screen for a moment before she shoved it into her handbag.

She dried her hair and made a mental note to tell Fisher later about the recording; she was sure it should be on the rule board. He was very firm about rules being stuck to; that's why he kicked them out of there last night. So he wouldn't mind the tip-off later about clients recording the dancers, he'll probably thank her for it.

She slipped herself into her leather pants and jumped into her jacket, zipping it up to her neck. Her boots were shoved on and velcro'ed up tight. She looked the part of a biker chick, that's for sure. It wasn't the best look for shopping but until she decided to take the plunge and buy a car she'd have to put up with it- cars were more expensive to run than a bike. She never went on her bike without the correct gear; she would risk being pulled over by a copper and get a ticket. Driving offenses would cost her more than the price of a ticket; her dad would get the letter from the DMV as she had the bike registered at home. He'd probably kill her for doing something that stupid; he was not all too keen on her riding the damn thing, another reason she got it to spite him.

Oh well, off to spend her hard earned money. She'd hopefully make it back tonight between her two private dances. Why did the hard work of becoming a doctor have to cost so much?!

* * *

**About 4 hours later.**

Squall had a face like thunder on him during the whole shopping trip. He was so pissed off. That girl, Rinoa had made him look like a damn fool. Both Irvine and Seifer hadn't stopped asking him about what had happened. He'd conceded to defeat and told them about the incident with the food, and what he'd almost done after she had refused to move out of his way. They had laughed at him, teasing him for behaving like a hormonal teenager.

"We knew you had an itch, we just didn't realise you'd try it on with the next girl in sight!" Seifer had chucked as Irvine held himself against the trolley when they got to the checkout.

In the end he'd stalked off on his own, leaving the guys to take his groceries back to the house. So much for a fresh start, he's abandoned them because he hadn't been able to take a joke.

He's wandered the town for a while before he found an outdoor café and stopped to get himself a coffee. Inside the shop was too warm to sit down at the banquette bar area. He stepped out of the shop and looked at the smoking area; luckily there was only one vacant table left, so he sat down.

Half of his drink gone and two cigarettes later he finds his fingers flicked over his phone, scrolling the internet pages for Angels' phone number. He was going back there tonight to see the dancer. She had worked some kind of magic on him and he couldn't get her out of his mind. He finds the number and without even blinking pressed 'dial'.

"Hello? I'd like to book a private dance tonight?" he said quietly, hoping none of the other customers could hear him. "With who? Er, I don't know her name. Um… can I give you a description? She's got dark hair, slender, about 5 foot ish? No, no guests, just myself. My name? It's uh…"

He thought about it; if her boss had his name from last night then chances are he wouldn't get in there. He needed an alias. Being blessed with a double-barrelled surname had its advantages.

"Hi, yeah, sorry I got a bit distracted, my name is 'Leon Loire'. Yeah that's right, what time can you fit me in? Ok, ten o'clock will be fine. Er how much will it be? Ok, good. Thanks, see you then, bye."

100 Gil was a lot for just one dance, but then again Seifer and Irvine paid that much last night. And they'd only stayed half an hour, but it was his fault. He told himself that he couldn't do that again, he'd sit there and behave this time.

A familiar girl in leathers walked out of the book store next to the café. She almost passed his table without seeing him.

"Hey you!" he shouted at her. Rinoa turned to face him and wrinkled her nose.

"Oh hi, what happened to your friends?" she looked around at the café doors, thinking that Seifer and Irvine would pop out any second.

"They wouldn't shut up about that stupid comment you made earlier so I left them at the supermarket. Did you think it was funny?"

"Did you?" she shot back, leaning over the rails towards him. "Did _you_ find it funny?"

"Hell no! You embarrassed the hell out of me! Hyne knows what they thought happened last night!"

"Well nothing happened, did it? I made sure of that!" she sneered at him.

"I would have apologised for that if you hadn't made that 'straight' crack in the kitchen!"

"Hey, listen! I too would have apologised for my behaviour but you! You kept giving me strange looks and ignored me when I tried being friendly. You were really rude towards me, you know!"

"Whatever."

"Ohhh! You! You!" she got flustered and stood up straight. "Oh forget it, I don't have time for this; I have to get ready for work. Catch you later, _Squall_!" she turned on her heels and started towards the car park.

_What the…?_

"Wait a second! I never told you my name! How did you…?" he stopped himself. She must have heard Seifer asking him what had gone on, after she left the kitchen. He got to his feet and followed her direction to the car park. He looked for the girl clad in black and blue leather, she'd disappeared. He looked for a blue motorbike; Seifer had said she drove a Suzuki so if he found the bike; he'd find her.

He walked along the car park, seeking her out. He stepped from behind a parked car without looking, and a vehicle screeched behind him, halting on the tarmac. His heart stopped in his chest, a few more seconds and he'd have been flung along the road.

"Oh my fucking Hyne! Do you have a death wish or something?! There's a reason there are pavements out here you idiot!"

He recognised that voice. He turned to see Rinoa sitting on a gigantic blue motorbike, yanking off her pale blue helmet, her dark hair flicking round her face as a gust of wind blew past them. She was utterly livid.

"Are you some kind of _moron_ Squall? I could have run you over!" she yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Rinoa!" he raised his hands in case she threw her helmet at him. She gripped the heavy helmet in her leather gloved hands as if she would. She started hyperventilating.

"C-calm down?! I could have… _killed_ you and you… tell me to calm down?! Do you not get that at all?" she said between gasps, she shook her head in disbelief as her eyes glazed with tears. "If you don't then you are a bigger fool than I thought."

"I get it I get it! I'm telling you to calm down because you didn't hit me did you? You stopped just in time-"

"Idiot! If I hadn't stopped when I did, I could have ended up crashing into another vehicle to avoid you! Hyne give me strength!"

Tears spilled from her eyes as she shook. She bent her head over the control panel between the bike handle bars. She was so frustrated with herself; the shock of nearly hitting another person on her bike had frightened her so much! She could have broken her neck, lost her licence, been put in prison! And he didn't seem to think it was a problem!

Squall stepped to the side of the bike and leaned towards her. She felt strong arms around her backpack covered shoulders.

"What are you-"

"I'm sorry." He muttered into her hair. "For everything that's happened today. I shouldn't have tried to… in the kitchen… You had every right to hit me like that, I deserved it. I just… I didn't want to apologise this way, I'm not… always like this, honestly."

She smiled slightly and wiped the stray tears away. Ok he had apologised first. It hadn't exactly been a good day for her either.

"It's ok, you don't need to apologise. I'm the one who should be sorry. I overreacted… both times. Shall we just call it quits and start over? Third time lucky?"

He pulled back from his hold on her. He smiled back at her, relieved that she had accepted his apology.

"Yeah, I'd like that. So… Ahem." He offered his hand. "My name is Squall, I'm studying Law and Political Studies for the second year running and er, I'm prone to being an idiot."

She took it with hers and laughed as she shook it gently. "Nice to meet you Squall. We'll have to have a proper chat sometime. I hate to sound rude but I need to head back now, I… have stuff to do."

Her arm lifted her helmet up, signalling that she had to go. He stepped away from the bike as she pulled her helmet back onto her head. She snapped down the visor.

"Look, feel free to say no or whatever. But… do you need a ride home? The walk back might take you some time, especially if your friends have already gone."

He looked at the bike reluctantly. She looked dwarfed sitting on top of it, how did she manage to control such a huge machine?

"Um… I'm not sure, I mean, how safe is it really?"

"What, don't tell me you're scared? I'm a very careful driver when I have a passenger on board. You wouldn't be the first person to have a lift off me, I give my friend Selphie a ride every so often and she's smaller than I am."

He thought for a minute. It would take him ages to walk back, the next bus wasn't due for another hour and he really wanted to get back home. He nodded at her to accept the offer. She switched off the engine and climbed off easier than he expected her to. She pushed against the gigantic bike and set out the retractable leg to stop it tipping over.

"I have a spare helmet. Your jacket could pass off as a motorcyclist's so don't worry about getting us pulled over." She said as she reached into a compartment under the back seat. It wasn't a total lie; his jacket almost matched hers in likeness so on a glance nobody would notice, she was prepared to take the risk just once- Selphie had a jacket at work which she used on the rare occasions Rinoa offered her a lift. She pulled out a dark yellow helmet with black lightning strikes down the back and closed the compartment door. The helmet was always kept in the bike though, the back seat never got filled and it was a heavy thing to lug around all day on the off chance she needed to give someone a lift.

"I'd have to… wear that?" he said wrinkling his nose.

"It's my only spare. If you want the ride, you'll have to wear it." She said as she offered it to him. "Put it on and climb aboard!"

Rinoa saddled herself at the front of the bike as he shoved the yellow helmet onto his head. It was a snug fit but it'd do for the ride home. He looked at the back seat of the bike. How exactly would he stay on as she drove it? There were no seatbelts obviously.

"Hop on then! You can either hold the side handles towards the back or you can hold onto my waist. Seeing as you've never ridden on a bike before, I'd suggest holding onto me." She said through the gap in her helmet.

"How'd you know I've never been on a bike before?" he asked as he attempted to get his leg over the side of the bike. His butt touched the leather covered seat as she turned her head over her shoulder.

"I didn't until you confirmed it just now." She laughed as she started the engine back up again. "Don't forget to close the visor unless you wanna catch flies in your mouth. Grab on tight now!"

She snapped her visor down, kicked the leg back up and revved the handlebars. Squall's hands gripped around her waist as he felt the bike push forward. She had terrific control. He was nervous though; the many stories he'd read about motorcyclists crashing at traffic lights etc. And here he was on a bike! A majority of the crash victims had been careful drivers and their passengers. What the hell was he doing on such a dangerous mode of transport!?

She sped up a long stretch of road; he felt the chills running through him. He clung to Rinoa's back tightly; his heart was thumping in his throat as she leaned their bodies to the side at corners and turns in the road. He kept praying to Hyne that she couldn't crash- he didn't like the idea of having his neck broken.

After what seemed to be a scenic route home, they arrived back at the house with Squall still in one piece. His thighs were aching and he struggled not to walk like a cowboy when he got off the seat. Rinoa had found it hilarious. She gathered up her shopping from the front seat compartment and locked away the two helmets.

"You get used to it after a while." She sniggered as she unlocked the front door. He wobbled up the steps, shaky from the ride.

"Yeah." He remarked uncertainly. No way in hell was he getting on that bike again. "I'd rather not get used to it if it's all the same to you. Thanks for the ride though."

_He was true to his word when he'd said he'll try anything once._ She thought to herself as she walked up the stairs with him behind her.

Rinoa did feel a bit sad though. She'd always thought she rode quite competently, despite the bike looking massive against her small frame. She never took any risks, always slowed down at the crossings; she'd never had a ticket either- mostly due to the fear of what her dad would do to her if she got one.

"No problem Squall, I'm not offended that you didn't enjoy the ride; motor bikes aren't everyone's cup of tea. See you later."

She stopped at the bottom of the second staircase, ready to see him off to his room. He looked at her puzzled.

"Er can I get past please?" he asked. She frowned for a brief second and then it dawned on her.

"Is… is your room…?"

"Opposite yours?" he finished her question. "Yeah."

"What a coincidence…"

They walked the final set of stairs in silence. They stopped outside their respective rooms. It was awkward again.

"Well… see you around then." Rinoa said as she reached into her pocket for her key.

"Yeah… see ya." he said as he opened his door.

* * *

Rinoa shrugged off her backpack and jacket and tossed them onto her bed as she lit up a cigarette.

"So… he's my neighbour up here. This will be… interesting." She exhaled as she tapped the cherry of her glowing sin stick.

She glanced at her alarm clock: she had about an hour before she needed to be at work. Not enough time to get stuck into her new books which she had really wanted. The book shopping had taken longer than she had planned; she'd been distracted looking at clothes which she didn't need to waste more money on.

Her stomach signalled its desire for food and she could have kicked herself. She had forgotten to hit the supermarket for extra supplies and meant to pick up a burger on the way home from the mall; because Squall had been on the bike she hadn't remembered. Looks like that'll be first on her list when she leaves again.

Her phone started vibrating in her jacket so she sought it out in one of her pockets. Speaking of work; Fisher's number flashed across the screen.

"Yeah Boss? What can I do for you? Oh? Really, well that's brilliant news. That idea of yours is really picking up interest! Three bookings tonight and another two for tomorrow! So what'll be the estimated takings for them? Ok, will I have time to do some normal work afterwards? Great, well I'll see you in an hour!"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Ok I went _way_ overboard with this chapter! Once I started writing I couldn't stop; I had lots of information to put in and when I got to page 15 I realised that I still hadn't gotten to Squall's re-entry into Angels' and hadn't tied up any loose ends. Whoops! This chapter is my longest one to date; out of all of my stories this one is really coming alive and I am so determined to finish it!

**Next chapter- Return to Angels' Part Two**: Squall gets back into the club, but not without any problems beforehand. Under strict watch from her boss, he is reunited with his dancer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Author's Note:** Well here's part two!

Thoughts for Squall are in regular _italics_, Rinoa's are in _**bold italics**_ and her heart's thoughts are just in **bold**.

**Last Chapter:**

Her phone started vibrating in her jacket so she sought it out in one of her pockets. Speaking of work; Fisher's number flashed across the screen.

"Yeah Boss? What can I do for you? Oh? Really, well that's brilliant news. That idea of yours is really picking up interest! Three bookings tonight and another two for tomorrow! So what'll be the estimated takings for them? Ok, will I have time to do some normal work afterwards? Great, well I'll see you in an hour!"

**Chapter Seven; Return to Angels' Part Two **

**24****th**** August. 7:20pm**

Squall had watched her go into her room and retreated back down the stairs to Seifer's and Irvine's rooms. Another apology had to be made and he hated himself for it. Why had he let their words affect him so much? Nothing had happened, but his defensive reaction had incensed their curiosity and he'd just… lost his temper.

"I really need to stop getting wound up so easily." He muttered as he knocked on Seifer's door.

"I second that; you really don't know how to take a joke do you?"

He jumped and turned around. Seifer was smirking as he leaned against the door of the second bathroom in a towel, his short flaxen hair spiked up from the shower. Squall sighed as he hung his head in shame.

"I know, I know. I'm an idiot."

Seifer shook his head. "Nah, we did go on at you a bit much, it wasn't entirely uncalled for, you running off on us like that. But you are a bit too… sensitive for your own good this past half year. I trust you will be good to your word and will get back to normal?"

Squall looked into the blond man's face and nodded.

"Yeah, I really meant it. That guy is gone for good, well, at least he will be. Soon." he promised. "Where's Irvine got to? I wanted to take you guys out for dinner."

_And then I can ditch them somehow to go back to the club._

"Ah, well he got chatting to the checkout bird after you'd stormed off and… well, you know Irvine as well as I do. He's gone out on a date."

Squall tried to hide his relief.

"Oh, I see. Well, how about you and me go out then? I can take Irvine out another night."

"No can do I'm afraid, I got a call from Quisty an hour ago, we're off to see some chick flick she's been banging on about for weeks. How about we do it tomorrow?"

"Sure, that'll do us just fine. Quistis is having a girl's night with Xu and there's no way I'm spending all night playing Irvine's dumb computer games again."

"Come on, we know you enjoy whooping his butt in combat games."

Seifer grinned, yeah that was true. Irvine was too easy to predict, he always chose the same characters to play each time and he never managed to use their power moves before he well and truly owned him.

"Heh. Well hopefully you'll find some way to entertain yourself tonight; Hyne knows I can't always be around to babysit you."

"Pfft, like I need a babysitter." Squall grumbled.

"Like it or not, we're not ready to release you back into the wild, you're not quite there yet."

"Great, first I need a babysitter and now you're referring to me like I'm some kind of caged animal!" Squall's hands went up in exasperation.

"All in good fun Puberty Boy." Seifer grinned. "You're pretty easy to wind up."

* * *

Rinoa exited her room twenty minutes later. Wow three shows tonight! That'll be sure to get her some extra money; maybe she could spend some of it on a well-earned mini break at a spa or something during the holidays.

As much as she would rather work instead of taking time off, Fisher had to make her take her accrued holidays which gave her less money to play around with. It cut at least half of her income but she knew she could manage on just her basic wages, the tips she had to see as a bonus income. She had Saturday off this week, the one night she really didn't want to not be in work. It was the last one of the month, the one night she could earn the most…

She left the house and climbed back on her bike. Now she had to find a fast-food place to grab something to eat. She supposed a burger and fries would suffice. And then she'd take a trip to the 24/7 supermarket on the other side of the city to get some proper food for her dinner after her shift at work finished at two am. Then the same thing again in a few days' time.

She really needed to a car, her bike could never hold enough groceries to last her a week, she wasted more money on petrol doing these trips every few days. On Saturday she'd have to bite her tongue and get the bus to the supermarket and then pay out for a cab on the way home.

Oh well, forget about that, the more shows she did the better. At 40 Gil extra per show she'd have to do one an hour each night she was in and it'd be perfect.

The line at the drive thru was longer than she had anticipated. By the time she'd gotten her order and chucked it in her rucksack she realised that she only had fifteen minutes to get to the club before she was late. She sped along the roads, almost driving through the red lights.

_**Damn! Why today of all days do I have to be running late? No time to even eat my dinner, what a waste of money!**_

She pulled up outside the building and drove slowly round the back alley. She yanked out her cloak to protect her face from being recognised and slung it over her shoulders. Locking up and setting the alarm she headed around the side for the front door and knocked. No answer. She waited several minutes and stormed to the rear of the building again.

She looked up the long staircase leading to the changing area and climbed up them carefully. Fisher really should invest in getting a better set of stairs installed; the steps were so wide and steep she almost did the splits on each one.

She hammered against the back door. Still nothing. She glared at the security camera above the door and pressed the buzzer beside the outer lock. A crackle came from the small speaker.

_**GAH! Stupid technology! Why can't he splurge on that special fingerprint reader? It'd be so much easier to get inside instead of waiting out here!**_

She yelled into the static and slammed her fists on the door.

"Fisher! Open up! Geez, how long do I have to stand out here!? Somebody let me in!"

The door swung open and a blonde's face peeked out from behind.

"Crikey Rin, there's no need to scream. Or break the door down!"

Rinoa sped through the door and pulled off her cloak. She threw her rucksack on the ground and started pulling her belongings out in a hurry. She dragged a wide toothed comb through her hair and shoved in several coloured clip on extensions; lilac, blue and silver. She turned to the blonde as she clipped up her white sparkly corset.

"Well Cherry, maybe if someone had answered the front door I wouldn't have needed to. I've only got about two minutes before the club opens and I'm hardly ready! I haven't eaten, the bloody drive thru took the piss making my food, and I still have to choose what tracks I'll use for my dances and now I won't have time!"

She yanked off her jeans, dragging her pink panties with them and crouched down into her bag for the matching sparkly white short shorts. Cherry sighed at the young girl and patted her shoulder. She reached for the silken ribbons criss-crossing the back of the corset and pulled them tight and tied up the base into a bow.

"Chill out honey, Boss won't yell at you for now showing up a bit late. He's been in the office all day; reckon he's fallen asleep though, not heard from him for about an hour. Stop getting so worked up. I'll knock in on him if you like; tell him you're having a mini-moment or something. You just sit your pretty butt down and eat your dinner."

Rinoa thought highly of Cherry. She was a curvaceous and well-toned lady in her mid-thirties; she had an air about her which captivated the older gents more than the young men. She preferred it that way; the older guys knew how to behave. She was almost like a big sister to everyone there.

"It's probably cold now." Rinoa pouted, pointing at the brown paper bag on the bench. Cherry grimaced at her as she grabbed a large file. The title on the spine said: MUSIC TRACKS & TUNES. She dropped it onto Rinoa's lap.

"Then if it is, you heat it up and stop whingeing! You don't have the time to stand around griping over stupid stuff do you?"

"Ok, ok enough with the 3rd degree!" Rinoa ripped open the bag and took a large bite from her lukewarm burger. Cherry smirked at her

"Good girl, I think I can buy you ten minutes so get yourself sorted!"

* * *

Two hours later. 9:45 pm

Squall clock watched in anticipation. He'd booked a cab to take him back to Angels' and he was nervous again. He had a one-on-one opportunity to see his dancer again. Well, not _his_, but hopefully she would be. The taste of her on his mouth was like he'd been drinking nectar and he wanted so much more. The flavour of her drink had added to the sensation, he wondered what it was that she'd been sipping on before the dance.

It had been like he was drinking from a tropical waterfall, a strong combination of fruit had overwhelmed his senses. He was sure he'd tasted that before, he couldn't think of what it was. Some kind of fruit liquor? No, it couldn't be that; they'd said they never drank on duty and he'd seen her taking her fluid from a can. So what was it?

And whatever she wore as perfume was nothing like he'd ever smelled before either. A subtle scent of tangy strawberry mingled with candy sugar. He'd been searching the web for a clue of what it could be, but his search had come up blank. He would have to ask her what it was later.

A sharp horn sounded from outside. He smoothed down his dark red shirt. Well, here goes nothing!

* * *

Rinoa grunted angrily as she left the stage and ripped off her mask. She sparked a cigarette and took in a deep breath. She was totally frustrated.

Geez that guy she'd just danced for was probably the biggest pervert she had ever encountered. He really should have kept his hands off! Grabbing her breasts to see if they were real, yeah right! She'd broken his nose good and proper; her knuckles were grazed and stained with blood from the impact. Of course, he'd bled onto the floor too; she needed to clear it up before her ten o'clock showed. Doesn't exactly reek of sophistication to come in seeing smudges of blood on the ground.

Like last night Fisher had sent the guy off on his way, but only after she'd knocked him out. Rinoa always gave as good as she got. Well… nearly always. Ok, just the one time she should have hit back, she hadn't.

She couldn't shake Squall from her mind; she'd felt his lips on hers and had wanted more, but her senses had won the argument. The timing was so wrong, the place was wrong, hell, everything was wrong!

She had selected several tracks for her dance for 'Leon Loire'. He was due to arrive anytime now. She could just use the same songs for each performance but she liked variety. All she had to do was sit up here til the guy showed up.

She pulled out some wet wipes and a can of spray bleach for the floor. She'd get right on cleaning up the floor after her cigarette. She inhaled another drag and heard Fisher's voice on the walkie talkie back stage. He didn't sound very happy!

"_Hell no am I lettin' ya in 'ere! After las' night's spectacle, what makes ya think I'd allow ya anywhere near my girls?"_

She heard a familiar voice begging her boss to let him back in.

"_Hey man, look I promise that I won't do it again! I'll behave, ok? Look, I was drunk last night, I haven't touched anything tonight either. C'mon let me in!"_

Was that… Squall? What was he doing back here?

"_Yer nuts if ye think I'll let ye set foot in this place. Givin' me a fake name is gutsy I'll give ye that. But I canne be havin' no punk ass kids messin' with my girls!"_

_**Fake… name? This didn't sound good**_

"_Look if you really don't trust me then you can handcuff me, tie me down or whatever, ok? I promise that I will behave alright?"_

She heard Fisher chuckle over the static. Huh? He was… amused?

"_Heh, ye don't quit do ye? A'right, I'll let ye in, but if ye put so much as one toe outta line then I'll be banning ye, kapeesh?"_

"_Sure, whatever. Are you gonna step aside now or what?" _he said impatiently.

"_Less o' the attitude brat, or I'll kick ye back out again. Pay at the desk an I don't think I need ter tell ya where yer goin' to right? Remember boy, anythin' funny and I'll send yer on yer ass. Two strikes an' yer out! I'll be keepin' close watch over ye on the cameras so behave yerself!"_

Silence was held for about 2 minutes. The radio crackles again.

"_Rin? Ye there?"_

She picked up the handheld device.

"Yeah Boss? What is it? Problem?"

"_Tha' punk from las night's back. Made a damn bookin' under a fake name. didn't wanna let him in like, but he's a very persisten' lad. He's on his way up te ya, jus' giving ye a heads up. I'll be keepin' watch from the office, any trouble from 'im then kick his ass."_

Rinoa feels her mouth go dry. So he was her ten o'clock client… Now what?

Wait a second, why should she be worried, he'd promised Fisher he'd behave. Her hands stroked over a large wooden ottoman. He said it'd be ok to cuff him, right? She flipped the lid and took a look inside the box.

* * *

Squall came back up the stairs he'd been shoved up and down the previous night. He'd put up a fight getting back in here and was very grateful he'd been let in. He assumed the giant he'd been dealing with was her boss; he was a scary guy, very strong too!

He pushed the door to the room he'd been in the night before and stepped in. There was nobody there, save for a solo chair in the middle of the room. He walked over slowly and stopped next to the seat. He saw a few small puddles of blood on the floor below him with a streaky hand print leading away from it.

_I wonder what happened here? It's rather gross that nobody's bothered cleaning it up though._

"Hello? Er I'm here for a show? Is anyone here?"

He heard a tip-tapping sound from behind the stage curtain and looked up. So someone was here after all?

Rinoa took a peek through the small opening. He was walking around the chair, his blue-grey eyes searching for signs of life. She saw him look up at her and stepped back, shaking the curtain slightly.

_**Shit, he could've seen my face! Dumb move Rinoa, expose your identity why don't you?**_

"Hello? Um, Miss?"

She fingered the curtain ruffles from back stage, almost too nervous to walk out. She mentally slapped herself. Ok, she can do this. She's done it a hundred times now.

"Er… I'll be right out fella! J-just sit yourself down ok?" she stuttered as she slipped her mask back over her face.

_**Smooth Rinoa, really smooth. Idiot! Get over it, get out there and do your job!**_

He looked bemused at the fluttering curtains.

"Alright then. Oh, hey wait!"

She poked her face through the curtains again. Her fake hair extensions flashed under the ceiling spotlights, clashing with her natural dark locks.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Leave the music off for now. I, uh, I just wanna talk to you, is that ok?"

"Er… sure. Just give me a sec."

Rinoa closed the curtain and face-palmed. Great, he wanted to talk, why couldn't he be like the other clients? Dancing didn't require talking, there was less effort and you were too busy to initiate conversation while you remembered your steps. Something told her that him wanting to talk was not going to end well.

She heard scraping from the front of the stage. What was he doing?

She came out onto the stage and saw the chair had been dragged forward so he was 2 metres from the raised surface. He looked up at her as he sat himself down.

She was wearing a tight bodice like last night with suspenders and stockings. Her heels were silver and easily 6 inches high with a 3 inch platform. How could she walk in those things, his calves hurt just looking at them!

"Er, what are you up to?"

He shrugged at her. How else were they going to be able to talk if she stays on the stage?

"You said we could talk; kinda hard to when the chair's so far away."

"Oh, so that's why you moved it. So where should I be? You don't expect me to dance around while talking right?"

She folded her arms across her chest as he scratched the back of his head. He saw a dark red graze on her right hand across her knuckles.

"No, actually, I didn't come here for a dance, not yet anyway so uh… Well, if you want you could sit on my lap…" he sees her eyes narrow behind her mask. "Or! Or the stage if you're uncomfortable!"

_**Crikey, he is something else! This has gotta be a first for me; a client who **_**doesn't**_** want a dance!**_

She crouched down and sat on the wooden floor above him. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Rinoa tired of sitting around doing nothing and decided she'd make the first move.

"So…? What do you want to talk about… 'Leon' is it?" she asked carefully.

Squall chuckled. "I'm sure you realise that's not my real name."

'What do you take me for; some kind of bimbo?! Of course I know your real name!' Was what she really wanted to say. Instead she cleared her throat.

"Well you never did tell me your name last night; I gotta make use with what I'm given."

"Will you tell me your name? I'll give you mine if you give me yours?" he offered.

She laughed at him. "I'm not that desperate for your real name, kid."

_Did she just… call me kid?! There's no way she's much older than me!_

"Don't call me 'kid' again; you're like, my age aren't you?"

She noted the frown appearing on his face. She realised she'd touched a nerve.

"Sorry, but it's a habit when I'm around the younger, er, guests."

"Hmpf." Was his only reply.

"C'mon don't be like that. Look would you rather me dance and get it over with?"

He didn't answer. Ok, now she was getting irritated. Hmmm, what could she say to make him talk again?

"Alexa." She said. He looked up at her again.

"What?"

"I said 'Alexa', that's what everyone calls me here. You can call me that or Lexie. It's short for Alexandria."

"Alexa… it's a really pretty name." he said with a nod. She smiled; thankful her blush was hidden behind her mask.

"Thanks, I guess."

"But that's not your real name though, is it? So what do they call you outside these walls?"

That was true; every girl here had an alternative name for the stage. Rinoa used the diminutive forms of her middle name, Alexandria, as it was easier to remember. Sometimes she preferred it to her given name as a child. She got teased for having such an… unusual name when she was younger. But he didn't need to know that.

She wagged her index finger at him, tutting loudly.

"That's classified; you only need to know me as Alexa. So how come you came back in here and why have you used an alibi to get back in?"

He didn't want to answer that just yet, he decided he'd throw a few questions her way first.

"This isn't about me. Tell me about yourself; where are you from, are you from Deling?"

She shook her head at him and got to her feet. She turned her back to him as she tried hard not to let him see her annoyance. He saw a black curved shape under her hair. The tattoo. Maybe he'd get a look at it.

"Nuh-uh. You don't get to play 20 questions without answering your own. I get the alibi thing, really. Boss would've seen your name on the list last night and booking in under that name wouldn't have gotten you a private show, much less entry. I'll ask you again; what made you come back here?"

He shrugged again.

"To be completely blunt; I wanted to see you again."

She should have expected this the minute she saw him walk back through the door. She'd had this happen enough times to know what his game was all about by now.

"Oh? Why is that then?" she smiled, very much aware of what he was getting at. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently as she turned back to face him.

"You pulled away, besides that there was nothing you did that I didn't like." He directed back at her. He was very serious in his answer. "I didn't want you to stop."

_**Aha, so that's what he is after. Let's play along, see how far he will go.**_ She thought.

**Rinoa are you stupid! He obviously likes you; he's nothing like those other clowns so why don't you give him a break? Just tell him something, that's all he wants!**

_**Do me a favour Heart, shut up and stay out of this!**_

"I had to pull away; it's a rule in here. I wish I could say I understand why it bothered you so much, I'm hardly anything special." She down played herself, hoping he'd get the hint. "Surely you have a little lady friend of your own back home?"

_I used to… until she ripped out my heart and crushed it between her fingers…_

"I'd… rather not talk about it, thanks." She saw a small flicker inside his blue/grey eyes as he fidgeted slightly on the chair.

"Ok, maybe that was a bit too personal to ask. Sorry, strike that question from our little chat." She said playfully with a wink. "Shall I dance for you now?"

"But I'd rather talk about you. I do think you're pretty special. More than any other girl I know. I don't get what a girl like you is doing in a place like this."

_**Ok, now he's overstepping the boundaries. Nip this in the bud now!**_

"Let's not go there; it's not something I would like to divulge. My life story isn't that interesting, besides that's not why you're supposed to be here." She said, sounding irritated.

"I'm being serious. I didn't come here expecting you to agree to talk with me; but since you did I want to know more about you."

_**Aww crap! I walked right into that one… Well sorry to disappoint you honey, tonight's not your night! **_

"How sweet! Want me to let you in on a little secret? Come here." She gestured at him with her formerly wagging digit in the beckoning curl. To Squall, she didn't sound annoyed anymore. She sounded… kind of… happy?

He stood from the chair and stepped closer to her figure sitting on the stage. He stopped just a foot from her legs.

"A bit more," she purred as she crouched back down to his level.

He was within arm's reach of her now. He leaned in expectantly. Perhaps she was going to allow him to kiss her this time. She stroked the collar of his shirt slightly with one hand, her thumb slipping under the curve where ties normally sat and her fingers slipping under the top, grazing his neck. Her other streaked through his thick chestnut hair, resting on the back of his head.

_**Time to get tough with him right now; I won't risk everything I've worked for. I can't allow him to sway me; it's like playing with fire. And boy is he gonna get burned!**_

He stared at her for a brief moment, enjoying the feel of her fingers through his hair. The electricity was back, he could feel it vibrating through him. He smiled at her.

_Wow! I thought she'd be harder to get than this!_

What she did next he was _not_ expecting!

He felt her grip on his hair get stronger and his collar tighten as she yanked him forward, inches from her face. He could smell her as she almost pulled him off his feet. She was a lot stronger than she looked! She was teetering on high heels and wasn't even tipping over the stage as she suspended him onto his tip toes.

"Listen up buster!" she spat at him as her dark hair flicked into his face. "Do you really think I'm stupid? Did you believe that I'd fall for you because you 'wanted to see me again', saying I'm 'special' and you 'want to know me'?

"Huh!?" he panicked, trying to pull out of her grip. She didn't let go, she held on tighter. Ok this was really starting to hurt!

"You know, I get this in here every damn night and guess what? Every single guy got the message perfectly clearly. Let me relay it to you; I do _not_ date clients, nor do I give out my personal information. You must think you're pretty smooth don't you? Thought you could talk me into a date or something? Well sorry to tell you; it's_ never_ gonna happen!"

"Whoa! A-Alexa, I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to say you were stupid!" he started, but she cut him off by pulling his hair harder.

"I'm not finished! Keep that mouth of yours shut; I am only here to dance, ok? I'm not here to chat with. If you're after that kind of company, why don't you find yourself a girlfriend? There, I said it. Don't think you're the first guy I had try it on with me either. See that blood over there on the floor?"

She jerked his face in the direction of the dark spots on the ground behind him.

"I meant to clear that up before you got in here but right now I'm glad I didn't. The last guy who came in here thought he was being clever too, and do you know what I did to him?"

"What?" he asked, almost afraid of her answer. Seifer and Irvine had warned him last night that she could deck him if she was incensed enough. She looked pretty past incensed right now, so Hyne only knows what she'd do.

"I broke his nose. Smashed it in with my fist. Snap!" she said sharply for effect. "Is that something you'd like me to do with you?"

_Shit, they weren't joking when they told me, were they? I think I could take her._

"So… are you going to?" he asked boldly. "You gonna break _my_ nose?"

His defiance was certainly credible; she could see him being a lot of trouble.

_**Heh! You're quite the tough cookie aren't you?**_

"Not this time." She smirked at him as she released her grip on him. "Not unless you really piss me off."

He rubbed his neck, feeling ridges from his shirt collar under his fingers.

_If this isn't pissed off, then what's she like when she is?!_

"Well I think we're done here. You know where the door is."

He snapped out of his train of thought. Seriously? She was kicking him out? Just for talking to her?!

"Hey! What about my dance?" he demanded weakly, trying hard not to sound pathetic.

She slid from the stage and put her hand on her hips as she stepped towards him.

"Really? Well the way I see it, you paid for an hour of my time. Regardless of how you spent that time, it is now up. I have another client due in soon and I need to get ready. Ciao."

She turned on her heels and waved in his direction. Inside he was fuming. This was not how it was supposed to go! He stomped towards the door, wondering how the hell he'd gotten himself into this mess. Just as his hand touched the door knob she called out to him.

"Oh, and Squall? Think about what I said, that is, if you decide to come back here again."

He turned his head and looked her up and down. He smirked. Of course she knew his name; she must have been told it last night by Seifer or her boss; she was just playing dumb about it. She was a smart girl alright. She wasn't just sexy and a good dancer, she was very intelligent and very strong. He found her even more intriguing. He knew that he definitely wanted to see more of her.

"Trust me; I will be back, you still owe me a dance. Goodnight 'Alexa'." He said, the quotation of her name hanging heavily in the air.

She smiled back at him. "Goodnight 'Leon'."

He leaves the room chuckling, closing the door behind him. She watched the exit for several minutes before she trusted him to have left.

"_Rin! Ye there?" _Fisher's voice sounded through the walkie talkie. She grabbed it and pressed the intercom button.

"Yeah Boss, what is it?"

"_That kid just left early, and without any scratches. What's with that? I didn't see ye in any trouble on the camera."_

"Yeah, well he just wanted to talk. The usual stuff, just like all the others. I sent him packing. But he will be back; he says I still owe him a dance. Never got round to it cos he said he wanted a chat first."

Fisher laughed through the handheld device.

"_Hehe! He's a stubborn li'l beggar in't he? So what ye gonna do if he comes back?"_

"I'll give him the dance he says I owe him. I made myself very clear so he may just take my word and let it go. He'd be stupid if he didn't."

"_A'right then, jus' gimme a signal if he causes any trouble. I won' stop 'im coming in next time unless ye say so."_

"Cheers Fisher, but for now, let's just see what he does. I'm just gonna clean up and get set up for the next guy."

"_Over an' out."_

The radio crackle ended with a clunk and she put it back on the stand. She grabbed the cleaning stuff she had brought out to clear away the blood from 'Mr Grabby'. It came away easier than she expected, despite being half dried on the laminate.

"Hmm, well I have ten minutes before the next guy comes in. Maybe I'll have a warm-up."

She climbs back onto the stage; tip toes towards the stereo system and presses the play button for the first track she'd picked earlier. She smirked slightly, how ironic that she'd picked this one in particular and had no idea how… appropriate it would have been if she had played it with Squall in the room.

"_Poison… Yeah… Poison… Poison… You're Poison…"_

She slid out onto the stage and started dancing along to the beat of Groove Coverage. He was certainly interested in her. She knew his type, he'd come back time and time again. She knew she'd have her work cut out but it'd take only a few visits for him to back off.

They always did.

* * *

Squall looked at the neon sign on the building. Well, that could have been better, but at least he had a better look at her. He still had no idea what she looked like behind the mask but with any luck, he'd catch her. Only time would tell.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Ok, I was right about this one being 10-12 pages long! 12 pages exactly! A 30 page chapter would have been way too much to post! I'm slowly getting built up to the romantic parts but for now, we'll see them at it like a cat and dog.

I don't want any critiques on Rinoa's behaviour, she has a lot riding on her at the moment and the way she treats Squall when he visits the club is perfectly reasonable. She needs to get him off her back for fear of getting too close. But we all know how stubborn Squall is; maybe she's met her match? The next instalment will be posted up soon!

**Next chapter- Chapter Eight: In Pursuit.**

The new term begins and classes take over social activities. But Squall refuses to give up going to the club and makes it a daily visit. Within a week, Rinoa's boss wises up to his behaviour and recalls a similar situation, one that ended very badly and cost him dearly. He warns Squall to back off, but Rinoa tells him that she's being careful. Fisher would trust her to look after herself for now.

Outside of the club, Squall seems very interested in Rinoa. She tells him a little bit about herself, and he does the same. He feels so strange in her company but he can't quite put his finger on it...


	8. Chapter 8

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity that makes me no money whatsoever.

**Author's Note: **I know at this time Squall looks like a stalker or a pervert or whatever. Just need to point this out: it is not going to last for the whole story, possibly two or three more chapters, I haven't quite decided yet. Even the sanest guys have periods of obsession, this just happens to be Squall's time for it.

**Last Chapter:**

Squall looked at the neon sign on the building. Well, that could have been better, but at least he had a better look at her. He still had no idea what she looked like behind the mask but with any luck, he'd catch her. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: In Pursuit**

**Saturday 3rd September**

The first day of the new semester was closing in fast. Students were running around like headless chickens trying to organise themselves. Schedules to memorise, new addresses to remember, books to buy, stationary, new clothes for classes and the inevitable parties for the upcoming Fresher's Week. It was a very busy time on campus, the new term started in two days' time!

For Squall, he had none of this to worry about. Unlike everyone else, he was fully prepared for anything to happen. Well academia wise anyway!

As promised he'd taken Seifer and Irvine out for dinner the night after and sat there as they poked fun, as usual. But he didn't get stroppy with them, well, not much anyway. He'd had a laugh with them. For the first time in months he'd actually enjoyed spending time with his two best friends. He was truly thankful they'd stuck by him; otherwise he'd be holed up in his room going blind trying to read and/or watch porn.

That thought haunted him, he was slowly becoming a hermit and he needed to break out of his shell and become who he used to be. The trip to the club on his birthday had been the jump-start of his new-improved-yet-slightly-perverted persona. It was different to how he used to be, but he kept working on it.

Speaking of the club.

He'd left it several days before returning to the Angels' again. He wasn't sure if she would still be pissed about his questions and he wanted to give her some space. And to be very honest… she'd intimidated him a fair bit! It's not often you meet a girl who could kick your ass. The last thing he wanted to do was enrage her further to face her wrath!

What he hadn't counted on was Alexa's boss making him wear handcuffs and a ball-gag! And in the main communal area of the club too!

* * *

"I already know ye canne be trusted to keep yer hands ter yerself an after the las' time ye came 'ere I ain't takin' no chances of ya upsettin' any of my little starlets with that mouth o' yers." The giant had said, swinging the restraints around his massive fingers.

"You must be joking!" he had said with a grimace. The mountain of a man before him had shaken his head, still brandishing the gag and cuffs in his gigantic hand.

"Does it look like am the kinda guy who'd make a joke? If ya wanna come in this time, you'll do as I say."

And stupid thing was… that he ended up agreeing to it. He'd been given all kinds of funny looks from both customers and employees; they probably thought he was into this sort of thing! It was totally humiliating but in the end it had been worth it.

Alexa and her two dancer friends from his birthday had taken up the stage for a performance with another four girls. They were slow to remove their garments, but judging from the way they worked their magic, it was what every guy in here wanted them to do. Balls of scrunched up money notes were tossed at them as they collaborated their movements.

He had to see seven pairs of bare breasts being flaunted in front of his face. He told himself that it was only Alexa's he was interested in… but he was a man after all... no harm could come from looking, besides that was kind of the reason he came here.

Her eyes watched him from her safety on the stage, never straying from his bound figure. She still wore her mask, covering her face from forehead to nose in a shimmer of white.

He had to bite hard on the gag as frustration raged through his body. He ached to reach out and touch her, but the cuffs dug into his wrists every time he moved.

He endured the torment for almost an hour before she finally took pity on him. She jumped down from the stage topless and only wearing a tiny pair of panties, walked over to him in her monster heels and removed the offending mouthpiece.

"Can I get you a drink?" she'd asked before he could thank her. "Seems pretty mean of the Boss to make you sit here without one."

His eyes locked onto her bare chest momentarily before he asked her for a glass of water. She pulled her hair round to her front, so all of it sat hanging over her right shoulder. Then she turned her back to him to walk to the bar and he finally got a look at her tattoo. A pair of black wings started from the centre of her spine, curving upwards and out towards her shoulders in intricate detailing. They looked so… lifelike. He'd never seen such ink work on a person before. They were truly angel's wings, just like her…

He had thought of getting himself a tattoo once upon a time but the whole 'dragging a needle through the skin' to put one there had frightened him a bit. He could handle the pain but it was the process which put him off. And for Alexa to have one done over her shoulders and he backs of her ribs showed him that she wasn't the squeamish type of girl. It wasn't done in just one sitting, he was sure of that, designs such as the one on her back required many visits to get the job finished.

She came back over to him with a large glass ice cold water. Which he took into the bathroom once the cuffs had been removed. And then he'd poured the whole lot on his crotch. He did it slowly as penance for every sinful thing he'd thought about since stepping into those doors that night.

But they hadn't gone away. He found himself struggling to sleep again. The same problem presented itself night after night. Going back there daily hadn't helped. But he was so keen to see Alexa on her own that he couldn't help himself. She fascinated him, and it wasn't just her body he was interested in now. He wanted to know her on a personal level.

He found himself waiting next to the building walls several nights running just as the club was shutting, hoping to catch her as she left. Her boss soon wised up to this.

Selphie had spotted him the first night as she walked out of the front door, waiting for Rinoa to come after her. She'd called Fisher on her phone and warned him to keep her inside as the "stalkerazzi" was hanging round the side of the building. It was a code word for over-interested customers: sounded harsh but it had become an issue in the past.

Fisher had called Rinoa a taxi that night, telling her he'd pay the fare. She'd grudgingly accepted, but she was rather annoyed that she'd had to abandon her beloved blue motorbike parked behind Fisher's monster Range Rover in the staff lot. He'd told her it was for her own safety. And she'd do well to listen to him and keep that mask on til she was safely out of sight of the public.

Squall returned the following night, and was still not granted with a private audience with Alexa. Fisher had convinced him that she was fully booked, when in fact he had her sitting in the stage room bored out of her mind. He paid her extra for that and had let her sneak out early, to avoid running into him on the streets outside. His other girls had kept Squall entertained while she made her escape.

By day four of this 'routine' he'd had enough and confronted Squall as he stood by the side of the building. He pressed the young man up against the wall with one hand around his throat.

"I know yer game lad an' let me tell ya now, she ain't gonna fall fer it!" he'd roared in the blue eyed man's face as he dangled him 4 feet above the floor. "What is it with you big city boys eh? Think a girl's in'erested in ya cos she takes off her clothes an' winks at ya a bit? I'm warnin' ya right now to keep yer distance, I will not have you corruptin' my best girl, you hear me boy?!"

Rinoa had come round the corner to see Fisher holding him up against the wall. She'd left wearing her long cloak wrapped around her to conceal her biker leathers, her mask still on her face as per Fisher's orders and was stunned to see her boss manhandling a customer.

"Boss, just let him go, alright? He's not causing any trouble." She'd said, pulling at his arms in an attempt to get him to drop Squall. Fisher's eyes narrowed, but he did as she asked.

Fisher relinquished his grip and dropped Squall to the ground. He'd looked at Rinoa and thanked her as he gasped for air.

"Just make sure you stop doing this immediately, I may not be around to keep my 'handler' off your back next time." She'd said as she walked back towards the front of the club.

She would have to get another cab home tonight then, she thought as she waltzed back through the club doors. Fisher came in shortly afterwards, making sure Squall had scarpered.

"I should ban the little punk right now! He's a bad 'un Rin, I can see it a mile off."

She'd waved her hand dismissively, saying there was no need. He'd not done anything worth getting banned, what was it about him Fisher had found so repelling in the first place?

Fisher called her a cab again. When he hung up from speaking to the taxi office he told her he had his reasons, several of which he was not prepared to tell her. She laughed and informed him, that until the day he told her the reasons in uncut detail, he should let Squall come back to the club. He was paying the fee like everyone else and besides… he wasn't all that bad. A bit too… keen maybe but not in the negative sense.

Her cab arrives and she heads off out of the door again. But not without telling her boss that she was an adult and could handle herself fending this guy off, she didn't need him to smother her like an over-protective parent. She already had one of those and he drove her crazy.

But it wasn't that what worried him so much. He'd seen customers display this behaviour before and it was frightening when he remembered the consequences. He didn't want to lose Rinoa… not like he'd lost… _her_.

Cherry had stuck around that night, waiting for Rinoa to go home before she pulled Fisher up on his behaviour.

"She can look after herself, Nathan." She'd told him softly with her hand on his arm. "She isn't some harmless little girl who can't defend herself you know?"

"I know that. But every time a guy like this shows up, it sets my nerves on edge. Can ya blame me for being this way?" he'd said gruffly. She shook her head.

"No, I understand how you feel. But you need to stop dwelling in the past, it isn't healthy anymore. You've had your time to grieve, and you need to make peace with yourself too. What happened three years ago was not your fault."

"Not my fault huh? So tell me Monika, what do ya think I should do? Sit back an' wait fer it to happen all over again?!" he snapped, slamming his fists onto the heavy mahogany desk. She stood her ground beside him and gently stroked his knuckles.

"No Nathan, but you didn't sit back and wait for it to happen last time. It just happened without any of us realising that it was going to. You cannot keep blaming yourself for that. Besides… do you really think that boy will do the same thing?"

"I should jus' have him taken care of so he doesn't get the chance to."

Her hands wrapped around his wide shoulders and she kissed his neck.

"Don't be stupid my love. Rinoa knows what she's doing. If she needs your help, she will ask for it. You already do so much for her as it is."

He stayed quiet. Cherry hugged him tightly.

"It could turn out like Crystal's situation-"

"Or it could turn out like _hers_. Neither option is good." He interrupted.

Cherry knew all too well where he was going with his thoughts.

"You still miss her don't you?" she whispered softly.

"I never stopped missing her. I think about her every minute of every day."

"I know. That's why you are so overprotective of Rinoa, because they are so alike. But she isn't her Nate."

He put his arms behind his head and stroked her hair.

"But she comes so close…"

He'd already lost 2 of his employees to customers; six years ago, a dancer called Crystal had been swept off her feet by an absolute charmer who refused to take no for an answer, he pursued her for a year until she agreed to a date, he began courting her outside of work, showered her with gifts and finally proposed in a massive display of affection. She married the guy two years later in a massive ceremony and never looked back. She handed in her resignation shortly before the wedding.

Then there was the other girl, his most talented performer… She… hadn't been so lucky.

Her name was Kara. She was a beautiful, spunky young woman with talent in everything she did. She was tall, elegant with golden eyes that sparkled like the sun and rich brown hair that draped to her waist in soft curls. She was soft, gentle, caring, and very naïve. But those qualities were what he loved so much about her. Yes… he did love someone, once.

His heart ached when he thought of her, she had so much spirit, her whole life ahead of her- she wanted to teach school children in the Kindergarten, she only worked there to pay for her expensive tuition at Deling University as it was the best school in the state and refused his offer of help to pay for it.

He remembered telling her that it is what big brothers were there for but she still said no. He'd allowed her to work in his den of sin once she became of age, adding extra cash to her pay packet every week as a makeup for her having to deal with the slime of the earth on a daily basis.

You may be thinking: why had he opened such a business in the first place? Simple really. There was a market for it and it was a very profitable business. But in the end it had cost him so much more.

He was fifteen when his parents had brought her home from the hospital and he'd loved her from the word go. Despite being a moody teenager who was grossed out by the fact his parents were still 'at it', he couldn't deny how much love he'd felt for this tiny new person.

She was an exquisite, charming little creature who had her big brother wrapped around her tiny fingers. Their parents died in a plane crash when Kara was nine years old and Fisher had stepped into the role of surrogate parent. He'd vowed that he would do anything for her.

But in her hour of need, he hadn't been there to protect her. Kara was shot by an obsessed client when she refused his advances; he'd followed her home one night and broke inside while she was sleeping. The police had been called to the scene within minutes of the first round of gunfire but it had been too late. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

He'd closed Angels' down for a month after the funeral, it had almost been a permanent thing until his staff begged him to reconsider. They promised him that they would do whatever he wanted, help him make changes, just so this sort of thing would never happen again. He opened the doors once again. But the damage was already done.

His baby sister, his only sibling, his best friend… was cruelly taken away from him at the age of 21 by a desperate scumbag who wouldn't accept the fact she did not love him and never would.

That very scumbag was not brought to justice as he had shot himself once the crime was committed. An honour Fisher would have gladly done himself, just to ease the pain, that he'd have done something for his sweet sister one last time.

Now all he had was a single yellow diamond made from her ashes on the facet of one of his dog tags. He kept them close to his heart, one side engraved with her name and a small, sentimental sentence on the other side: 'Taken before her time, too wonderful for this Earth.'

* * *

"So, you're studying Law and Political Studies? That must be some boring shit, if you don't mind me saying so Squall. How come you chose such a major?" she asked as she stirred her third cup of coffee at the counter.

Rinoa had been spending a lot of time with Squall at home. Mostly they chatted over coffee and several cigarettes in the kitchen, getting to know each other better. Far from seeing him as a potential boyfriend or whatever, Rinoa was simply curious. At least, that's what she told herself.

She dressed smart-casual today, wearing black leggings and a floral patterned smock top with ballet pumps on her feet. Being in heels all night long had her ankles screaming for comfort come daybreak. She'd worn her glasses this morning too, her replacement contact lenses were due to be collected from the opticians later that afternoon. It was a good thing too; her glasses got in the way of her helmet visor something chronic. She'd never ride without them on of course but they were best suited for heavy reading, to give her eyes a break.

Squall had a hooded sweatshirt on over a pair of well-worn jeans with his lounge shoes. Socks came with a health risk, especially when one lived in a house that was 80% laminate flooring.

So far from their previous chats she'd learned he had one sister seven years older than him, a guy he couldn't believe was his own father- paternity tested and he still thinks the results were faked- this was in jest of course, but his dad was the opposite of him in almost every way personality-wise. His mother was a woman he most admired; she lived for her kids and kept their father in check constantly. They were like the original Odd Couple, he was so happy-go-lucky and she was very straight laced.

He'd talked about Seifer and Irvine, telling her they'd met in a high school chat room for future Deling University alumni when they were 16. She'd laughed at that, it sounded like that cheesy Hillary Duff movie. They'd spent the next eighteen months talking online/phone/text, met several times a month and hit it off pretty well. Irvine was a native Galbadian and Seifer came from Balamb.

He never mentioned Allison to her; it was a bit too personal to tell her. Despite telling her how he'd met Seifer and Irvine, he didn't want her to think him as being weak or pitying him. Pity was so much worse!

"Well there wasn't much open to me really." He shrugged as he sparked up his umpteenth cigarette of the morning. "The clown's a big shot in politics and it's kind of expected of me to follow in his footsteps. Career-wise obviously. I'm 99% sure I'll be doing something in that field but if I didn't have to follow him into that field, I'll probably become a lawyer after graduation."

"And is that something you want to do? With your life I mean?" she questioned him carefully as she sat back down opposite him. From the way he'd spoken, it didn't sound like he was all that thrilled with the job prospects. He waved his hand at her.

"I'd rather not go into that, it's a bit too heavy to discuss over coffee. Maybe if we had a bottle of vodka out I'd be more willing to divulge." He chuckled and offered her another one of his cigarettes. Her packet had run out long ago and she was due a trip to the shops for more later on.

"Thanks. I'll get you a pack in return when I head out to the shops." She'd said as she lit it up. "But c'mon, dish the dirt. Do you want to go down the route of politics? Isn't it all hush-hush, dirty dealings in back alleys etc like I've read about in the papers?"

"Mind if we change the subject now? All I seem to have done is talk your ear off the past few days. Tell me about you. Why'd you wanna be a doctor?"

"Ah, well maybe that's a bit of a long-winded story. You sure you have the time to hear it all?" she smirked. He smiled back and took a swig of his drink.

"Try me."

She explained a bit about her father, about him wanting her to follow in his footsteps, join the army like he did, work long physical hours, travel the world, risking her neck- basically live life under a harsh thumb.

"You see, I'd much rather have a dad who gives a shit or at least cracks a smile like yours. But no, even a hug was too much effort for my old man. He never showed interest in me until I hit my teens and even then it was only because he thought I'd do his bidding. But my dream job stems from my mom's influence." She said resting her chin in her hands, a peaceful expression in her eyes as she looked out of the kitchen window.

"Was she a doctor too, is that what you're getting at?"

"No… she always said I'd do something worthwhile when I was a kid. She encouraged me to follow my dreams. By the age of four I knew I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. It just became more of an obsession, so to speak, when she died after being in a car crash."

"Oh Rinoa… I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's ok. It happened a long time ago."

She went very quiet for a few minutes. The tick-tock of the kitchen wall clock kept the atmosphere slow.

"So… an 'obsession'? That's a bit… extreme, if you don't mind me saying so Rinoa." Squall began, prompting Rinoa to look back at him.

She giggled. "A bit yeah… but I've got the drive in me. I am determined; you'll soon figure that out. But seriously. No-one really gives doctors enough credit sometimes; they work so hard and do amazing jobs. The ones who tried saving my mom's life spurned me on; they did the best they could. Just because she died didn't mean they hadn't done their best to keep her alive. I respect their efforts, knowing they'd done all they could for her. It was a tough time for me to accept that back then though."

Her eyes started glazing over unintentionally and his hand creeps across the table and gives hers a squeeze. She looked into his crystal blue eyes, seeing him for more than just the guy who pestered her at work. He definitely had a soft side.

"If you don't wanna talk about it, you can stop. I won't pressure you."

She presses his hand away from hers.

"Thanks, but it's a lot easier to get it off your chest you know? The really big reason I want to be a doctor is that I would love to know the joy they feel when they save someone's life, it must be so incredible and worthwhile."

"Well at least you're ambitious; I'll give you that one Rinoa. So do you like, have a boyfriend or something? I hardly hear from you in the evenings that's all. Forgive me if I'm being too nosey."

"It's ok, I don't mind you asking. Nope, no boyfriend. I do have a job that takes up a lot of my spare time though…" she stopped herself, almost forgetting who she was having this conversation with.

"What kind of job? I've heard you coming in pretty late."

Now she had to fake up a job and fast! She couldn't say she worked in a random bar, in case he went in one night she was "working". She had to think of something she wouldn't easily get found out at.

"Telephone centre." She said quickly. "You know the emergency lines for the hospital?" He nodded at her. "I do the triage graveyard shift for non-emergency issues."

"Yeah? You actually do that?"

How easily that lie flowed from her lips. It could almost be true the way she fabricated the deception. She could have made up any old story when he asked her about herself at work, instead she'd gotten prissy and threatened to kick his ass!

"Well it'll come in handy for field practice next term. It's as close to hands on experience as I can get for now til my professor sends me that way. I don't want to be a general practitioner though; the field I'm hoping to get into is in surgical procedures."

"Meaning the one who cuts people open and looks at their blood and guts on a table?" he pulled a face at her. "You must have a pretty strong stomach."

"I'll take that as a compliment. It is pretty fascinating stuff, being given the opportunity to delve into the wonders of the human body." she got a lot more animated just thinking about it. "Getting your hands stuck into all the body parts, working out how they all tick and stuff. Last year we dissected a lamb, we had to take out its heart, lungs and digestive system and then we had to dissect those and-"

"Ok, ok enough! I think I'm gonna hurl! It's like being back in ninth-grade science class all over again!" His face went a pale shade of green at the mere memory. She snickered at the look on his face.

"Ha-ha, sorry I did go on a bit much there didn't I?"

"You weren't kidding when you admitted it to being an obsession. I can see it now, you standing over a hospital bed with some poor victim of appendicitis or whatever, a manic bloodlust in your eyes as you prepare to cut them open with the dagger in your hand-"

"Scalpel." She corrected him. "It's called a scalpel. And I can see where you're going with this little vision of yours. Not by a long shot are you anywhere near being accurate for that theoretical situation. But just to clear things up, I'm not into the gore-factor, ok?"

"Could have fooled me." Squall stated with a shudder. "Let's change the subject again cos this topic is really creeping me out."

"Fine 'Mister Unadventurous'. What 'safe' subject would you like to close in on now?"

"Hmm. What's your family like? Any brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm an only child."

"What about your parents? What are they like?"

"Well I already mentioned my dad before. He's in the military. You know high ranking, very strict, the typical wished-he'd-had-a-son-instead-of-a-daughter type. I'd rather not talk too much about him, seeing as we don't get along."

"Ok… so what about your mom? What was she like?"

Rinoa looked into her cup of coffee, thumbing the rim as she inspected the contents.

"What can I say about my mom…? There were so many good things. But to sum it up in one sentence: she was the best person in the world."

"How old were you? When she died?" Squall looked at her face across the table. Rinoa looked up at him.

"She uh… died the week after my fifth birthday."

He saw her eyes glazing over with small tears at the corners and suddenly felt very uncomfortable for asking.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no it's ok Squall. I'm not still upset about it; it's been 13 years now."

Squall brow furrowed as he did the maths. "Hang on, something doesn't add up. How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, my next birthday is in March. What do you mean by something not adding up?"

His jaw almost hit the table in shock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on! You're eighteen and in second year already? How the hell did you manage that?"

DING DONG! DING DONG!

Rinoa stood from the table. "I'll go get the door. Hang on."

She walked through the door and down to the main entrance to the house. A blurry figure was seen through the toughened glass window in the centre of the door. Rinoa opened the door and was assaulted by a short bouncy girl.

"Rinny!" Selphie squealed as she swung around Rinoa's waist. "I told ya I'd be coming over to see you today. Are we still hanging out before work or what?"

Rinoa grimaced. Just what she needed right now. She pried Selphie from her vice-like hold and held her at arms' length.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hang on will you? I was in the middle of something, just let me go back in the kitchen and I'll wrap things up. I'll be back in two minutes."

"You got a guy in there or something?" Selphie's eyebrows wiggled at Rinoa like Groucho Marx. Rinoa rolled her eyes in response.

"'Or something'. Cool your jets."

She turned on her feet and walked back into the kitchen. Squall was still sitting at the table with his mouth slightly agape. She waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his daze.

"Sorry but something's come up, we'll have to continue our chat late-"

"HIYA!" Selphie shouted as she skidded into the room and extended her hand to Squall. He stared blankly at this pint-sized whirlwind. "I knew Rinny was hiding some kind of secret boyfriend! Nice to meet you-"

She froze, looking carefully at the young man sitting at the table. She'd seen his face somewhere before, but where…?

Suddenly it hit her and she stared at her dark-haired friend in confusion.

Rinoa put her hand on Selphie's shoulder, praying she'd get the hint not to say anything.

"This is Squall; he's one of the guys I share the house with. Squall, this is my best friend Selphie Tilmitt. Sorry but I forgot she was coming over today. Is it ok if we continue our chat tomorrow or something?"

"Uh, yeah sure." He looked at the smaller girl who was shooting him daggers from the corners of her jade green eyes. Something about the way she glared at him had him unnerved.

"Thanks. C'mon Selphie, let me show you my room." Rinoa dragged her small companion out of the kitchen quickly, pushing her in the direction of the stairs.

"Mind telling me what's going on here Rinoa?" she asked as Rinoa's bony fingers poked her up the staircase. Rinoa sighed and prodded her further.

"Hush. Let's just get to my room. You can chew me out once I get the door closed alright?"

The second Rinoa closed her door Selphie spun round on her platform trainers.

"Are you fucking insane or something? What the hell is going on? Why the hell didn't you mention that you lived with the creep in the first place?!"

Rinoa sat at her desk chair and put her feet up on the wooden table.

"Calm down Sel. Hey, you got any smokes on you, I'm all out. I really need to head to the shops soon."

Selphie tossed a packet of Marlboro Lights at her.

"Don't change the subject Rinny, why did you neglect to mention about the stalkerazzi living under the same roof as you?!"

Rinoa lit a cigarette and took a deep puff. "There's not a lot to say really. I found out the first night I moved in here that he lived here too. What do you expect me to do? I've kept my secret safe; he has no idea about our jobs at the club, so it's ok."

Selphie snorted and grabbed herself a cigarette.

"Yeah, until he follows you back home and finds you out." She said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "He was so fucking close the other night to catching you! This is dangerous Rinny, you're fraternizing with him. What are you gonna tell Fisher?"

"Nothing. Boss doesn't need to know about it. He's not a bad guy, you know? He's actually quite nice."

Selphie put her hand up.

"Stop right there. He upset you that first night and I know I said you'd probably never see him again but can you not see how stupid you're being? If he doesn't recognise you now, he soon will! The amount of times he's come in over the last week, he'll make the connection, especially with you not being home much at night. Can you imagine if he went to the Dean about it? Do you know what the backlash will be if it comes out that Boss is hiring students to work in a strip-club?"

"Already covered that, thanks for your concern. He thinks I work the graveyard shifts on the emergency phone lines. I told him it was good field experience."

Selphie smirked a little. "You sneaky girl. Is there such a job out there?"

"Maybe. I have no idea, but he bought it anyway. I can make guys believe anything I tell them. Remember my dad still has no idea."

"Hah, I still wouldn't mind seeing the look on his face though when he does find out. That'd be a photo for the family album. Imagine if he came into work and found out that way. Hehe!"

"Not even remotely funny Selphie. You know he'd probably have a bitch fit and drag me out of there half naked."

"And another fantastic photo to be taken. The high and mighty Caraway losing his cool as he pulls his wayward daughter from the den of sin. Muhahahaha!" Selphie chuckled.

"Anyway!" Rinoa said slowly with a roll in her eyes. "Do you think he's going to be trouble then? Boss seems to believe so."

"C'mon Rin, you and I both know that they're all trouble. Remember the saying; if we give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Just be careful and don't get yourself into a bad situation with the guy." Selphie said with a warning.

"Don't worry. I'm in no danger of falling for him Selph." Rinoa assured her small friend with a shake of her head.

"Not you, him! I saw the way he was looking at you in the kitchen just now; it's the same way he looks at you in work."

Rinoa laughed her off. "No way. You're imagining things again. Come on then, we best head out before the opticians close; I need to pick up my new pairs of contact lenses. I finally got some extra ones for work too. You're gonna love them!"

* * *

When he heard Rinoa go off out with her little friend Squall decided to prepare himself for another visit to Angels' that night. Sure Alexa's boss had scared him a fair bit last night but he would be damned if the giant would put him off. Alexa seemed to care if he got hurt or not, that was certain judging by the way she got her boss to let him go.

Maybe hanging around after hours was a bad idea, but he was so desperate for some one-on-one contact with her again. There was something about her that he found completely fascinating. Ok, she had a cracking figure and _amazing_ breasts but it wasn't just those things.

Her eyes, their intensity behind her mask, they spoke volumes of depth. He couldn't tell what colour they were, the mask shadowed them but he could always see the way she looked at him. He figured them to be a penetrating blue like his own or dark green like Seifer's.

_Rinoa has pretty eyes too. A lovely shade of chocolate brown._

His mind wandered to the girl who had sat with him for the last few mornings while he blathered on. She'd been very interested in what he'd had to talk about. She was very interesting too: what a passion she had for a career in medicine, from what he understood it was a tough course to do, especially in 3 years. And she was a year younger than him too; she must be very intelligent to have gotten into Deling U so early.

Maybe he'd get to know her quite well over the next year. Yeah they'd started out quite tempestuously but that apology in the car park the other week had started off something new. A fresh start, just like he'd wanted.

He felt very odd being around her, like he could say just about anything and she wouldn't judge him for it. They were becoming friends, slowly, but he was a long way off telling her some more of his private details.

Like his dad's job for example; he wasn't just a big shot in politics, he was the president of the entire Estharian continent. He wasn't sure telling Rinoa that was all too wise; she might act differently around him if she knew where he really came from. Girls often did when they knew you had a lot of money in your background, he couldn't quite trust her with that information.

She'd said her dad was high up in the military but the name Heartilly didn't ring a bell with him when he thought back to all the visitors his dad had over from Galbadia. Maybe her image of 'high up' was the ranks of Lieutenant or Captain.

But he won't breathe a word about his visits to the strip club to her or his friends. Somehow, they just wouldn't understand why.

* * *

"Oh my Hyne they are awesome Rinny! Such a gorgeous colour!" Selphie squealed as Rinoa sat in the optician's chair, preening into a mirror. Rinoa smiled.

"Glad you think so. They're not too extreme, are they? Even just for work?"

"No way. I wish I needed stuff like this, I'd have picked the cat's eye ones, they are so wicked! Let me see them in, c'mon try them out." Selphie exclaimed, handing her a small box containing the pair they'd been discussing.

Rinoa removed the contacts she was currently wearing. They were just plain boring clear ones for everyday use. The pair Selphie had in her hands were the one's she'd use for work, and work only.

She flicked her head back and positioned her coloured contacts over her brown eyes and blinked them into place. When she looked at her reflection, she saw a violet eyed girl staring back at her.

"Wow they are so cool!" Selphie nodded in approval. "You'd never know they weren't your natural colour. They suit you so well! So wild!"

Rinoa grinned inanely; she did suit having purple eyes quite nicely.

The colour change to her eyes was a vast difference but she had liked the shade so much on the design card she'd looked at when she came in earlier that week that she'd ordered them on a whim. She was very glad she'd been impulsive. Her eyes looked so much more vibrant.

"Here's this for a wild idea; reckon I go get my hair done too? Maybe have it dyed blonde or something?"

"Blonde?! Not a chance Rinoa, you would never pull off going so light, you'd get roots so easily! Anyway, what's wrong with your natural colour, I'd kill to be so dark." Selphie pouted, tugging her mousey brown curls. Rinoa ran her hands through her long thick hair and held it out between her fingers. It was too long to keep maintained easily, she'd let it grow halfway down her back.

"I just think it's a bit boring ok? All my life I've just left it dark and let it grow out. The most adventurous I get with it is getting it trimmed a bit or putting in those coloured extensions at work. I just fancy a change you know?"

"Oooh! I have an idea! Instead of colouring the whole lot, why don't you get some streaks put in?"

Rinoa sat looking at herself in the mirror. Maybe going all-blonde would be a bit too much, but a well-deserved cut and a touch of colour would be just the ticket.

"Yeah, why not? Let's get to the hairdressers then, hopefully they can fit me in for a bit of pampering."

* * *

Three hours later.

Squall poked his head into the fridge for a soda and a snack. Dinnertime was an hour away but he was hungry now. He could have cooked himself something proper but he wasn't in the mood for a big dinner just yet.

He heard the rumble of Rinoa's motorbike parking up out the front. He double checked the time on the kitchen clock. Maybe she'd have enough time before heading out to work to join him for dinner, or he could be cheeky and ask her to make that noodle dish he'd scarfed on her back on his birthday.

The front door clicked and he heard her keys jangling as she stomped her way into the house, cursing loudly. Uh oh, she didn't sound too happy.

"Oh fuck, what was I thinking? This isn't me at all! What the hell was Selphie thinking, saying this suits me? Damn her; I hate it! Agggh!"

The door swung open and he did a double take. The clothes were hers; the dark blue leathers she wore when she went on her bike, the face was hers… but the hair!

Instead of sitting in a plait just above her hips like it had this morning, it was easily about 6 inches shorter, ending at the base of her shoulder blades, with 2 long golden streaks down the side of her face, contrasting nicely against her raven locks. She'd had it feathered and had a fringe put in too. It was very different. She looked so… pretty with it this way.

"Oh!" she realised she had an audience, her face flamed red in embarrassment. "Hi Squall. Sorry, I didn't realise anyone was still home…" she trailed off; very aware he was looking at the mess her hair was in.

"New hairstyle?" he nodded at her. She shrugged at him.

"Yeah but I don't like it. I never should have let Sel talk me into getting it done now. I can't believe I spent 150 Gil on a haircut I hate." She muttered through gritted teeth.

He didn't even blink at the amount she'd spent on having it done; he'd spent twice that amount getting his own done in Esthar many times. Well, he'd never changed his cut style either, but he always paid the hefty price for it.

"It's not horrible Rinoa, it's a bit different but I think it suits you. You'll get used to it."

She suddenly ran her fingers through what was left of her hair. "You… like it?"

He nodded. "The cut makes you look understated; the gold in your hair is a nice touch too. What's not to like?"

She flushed. "I guess I just freaked out. It is a big shock when you've had the same style for the last decade and change it on a whim you know? But you're right, I will get used to it. Thanks Squall, it means a lot."

She smiled shyly at him and he felt a strange sensation stabbing him in his gut.

Why was he noticing her hair? He never noticed hairstyles on anyone anymore, what was it about Rinoa that he found compelling? Was he…?

"D-don't mention it Rinoa. It's not a big deal."

"It is to me though; I was really in a funk about it. Hair's really important to a girl, you know?"

_Ok Squall, just ask her and see._

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is… Er, do you think… I could ask you for something?"

She smiled and pushed her new hair behind her ears as she looked at him.

"Sure, I owe you big for making me feel better. Oh here!" she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a box and threw it to him.

He caught it in one hand and looked at it; a full packet of cigarettes.

"I said I'd get you a replacement pack." She said as he looked baffled at the silver box. "Thanks for letting me borrow some of yours. So what can I do for you? Just name your price."

He could ask her, couldn't he? He could say the words and see what she said; there was no harm in trying, right?

She looked at him expectantly, cocking her head to one side. He swallowed deeply.

"Rinoa, I… was wondering… if you…"

"Yes, Squall?"

All he had to do was say it; it was such a simple thing to do.

"I-if you don't mind, could I just ask… you to…"

Rinoa wasn't stupid, she had a very good idea what he was about to ask. She wasn't a gambling woman but if she was she'd bet her entire year's wages on this question.

"What is it?"

"Could you make me that yummy beef noodle dish before you go to work please?" he asked quickly. She widened her eyes in surprise.

Ok maybe she wouldn't have. She didn't see that one coming!

"Um, ok…"

She turned towards the cooker and unzipped her jacket, preparing to start on his request.

Squall face-palmed while her back was facing him.

Epic. Fail.

* * *

**Author's Note II:** Ok this one was more of an information piece rather than a mass chapter of events. But I think I got some important bits out there and got to the point where Squall notices Rinoa too. And he freaked on asking her out; what a spaz!

Yeah, I butchered her hair too but I didn't fully describe it as being her regular style did I? Now it is; I did think of doing the Dion Rodger's Rinoa hairstyle but that might have been a bit excessive.

**Chapter Nine: Falling in Deep**- With his mind stuck on two women, Squall learns that only one of them is attainable, so which one is he thinking about now? He still has no idea that they are one and the same! Chapter begins two weeks into the new term.

Oh and to all those reading this; how will I know if I'm doing a good job if you're not reviewing! I know the traffic is a LOT higher than the review count I'm getting. C'mon, don't be shy; tell me what you like, what you don't and if I need to improve on anything! I want the critiques almost as much as the praise!


	9. Chapter 9

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note: **I had to post this up today, to commemorate Rinoa's birthday! I think I got it up just in time!

**Legal information used in this chapter was sourced from: .com.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Falling in Deep**

**Wednesday 14****th**** September**

"Through emancipation, a minor can take responsibility for his or her own welfare, and make the major decisions that their parents typically would have done themselves. If you could open your text books to chapter fourteen please. This section provides information on the emancipation process, the rights and responsibilities that come with it, and a look at some states' minor emancipation laws. The main points I would like you to observe are those detailed on page 557 through to page 571."

Squall's face ached as he held it in his hands. His eyes glanced at the giant clock on the wall. Twelve thirty. He'd been sitting through this lecture since nine o'clock this morning and to be brutally honest, it bored the crap out of him. This subject was all about Family Law and it really was of no interest to him at all. What relevance would this have to him especially if he was going into the Estharian political office? Absolutely none whatsoever.

The tutor droned on about the means one would have to take to become emancipated. Squall could care less about how it was done, he'd never put it into practice for a real client, not if he followed Laguna into office. His mind wandered to his plans for Friday night.

Of course he'd be going back to Angels' again, but this time, he'd be getting a private dance. Alexa's boss had allowed him this privilege on the basis that he did not touch her or say anything to upset her. It had been because of her influence that he had this chance back, like he would do anything to blow it again!

As she'd requested, he had stopped hanging around at the end of the night straight away. He wasn't about to invoke the wrath of her boss again. His neck had been so sore from having the large man's fingers crushing his vocal chords as he'd suspended him against the wall that night. He was thankful that was all he escaped with. The guy could have snapped his neck in half with a flick of his wrists if he'd felt so inclined. Yeah he'd been a bit crazy, by trying to catch Alexa outside of work but it was only because she intrigued him so much.

It was highly likely her boss had a point for wanting to keep her safe and it probably ran deeper than just him looking out for her as her employer. Something spoke to him, making him think it was 'that way' with her boss. He'd let him go because she'd asked him to. The way he'd said she was his 'best girl'… that spoke volumes of a one-sided desire on her boss' side for sure. Squall would bet money on that being the angle.

That thought aside, he'd been on his best behaviour over these past two weeks, and it was finally going to pay off. Because he'd finally get some alone time with Alexa. It had been very awkward as he'd walked into the building the following night; he could feel the utter contempt her boss was sending in his direction the entire night. Like a hulking shadow, the owner of Angels' followed him around the main section of the club; to make sure he wasn't up to any mischief.

It had been annoying, but he got the jist of why he was doing it. He'd heard plenty of rumours about the den of iniquity that was the local strip club. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off the guy. He had caught wind of a story that the owner was a former hit man; not the kind of person you'd want on your back at all really!

But Alexa hadn't behaved any differently, she was either a good actress or very good at her job. She hadn't avoided coming near him as he sat close to the stage in the main section of the club, but she'd certainly watched him like a hawk. Her hair had been thick with coloured extensions, swishing around her back as she danced with her co-workers. He couldn't take his eyes off her, feeling the stirring in his trousers building up as she wiggled in a very sultry manner in his direction.

He felt a familiar tug under the desk and swiftly moved his rucksack over his lap. He was not getting caught in class with a hard-on! He rested his elbows on the wooden table and closed his eyes as his thoughts delved deeper, dirtier…

He remembered his mouth going dry as his eyes wandered from her monster heels to her creamy white legs, hovering for a brief moment at her sacred area before realising her hands were rolling over her chest, and gripped his chair tightly as she pulled down her zipper and unleashed her incredible-

"Professor Odin I have a question: How long are parents legally obligated to a minor for?" one of the students at the front asked, interrupting Squall's dirty thoughts.

"Excellent question Master… Thelewis." Odin replied as he checked the assigned seating plan on his lectern. "Typically, parental obligations terminate when a child reaches the age of majority, which is eighteen years of age in most states. However, depending where you are, you may wish to check different state laws to see if they vary from this standard. Galbadia's laws, for example, say a minor is someone under the age of twenty-one whereas in Trabia, the law says a minor is a person under the age of eighteen."

"I have a question too professor!" a young girl with lilac streaked hair raised her own palm. "Surely the obligation to provide for a minor lasts until the minor becomes of age and ends right then, or does emancipation law have room to have the right removed?"

"Thank you Miss… Korobe. There is room for this right to be removed but it has rarely happened. Parents who have children with disabilities may have their parental obligations last beyond the age of majority. Additionally, there are certain circumstances in which such obligations can be terminated prematurely. But only a court can decide on this, not the minor in question or the parents of the minor."

"Thank you sir!" the girl called back.

"Ok, class is almost over so please start collecting your belongings. I would like to remind you all that I am expecting a 5000 word essay on both the pros and cons of giving a minor emancipation, using examples for both scenarios by the end of the month. I know term has only just begun but this is year two, you will be expected to write these a lot more than you were last year. If you wish to get a legal placement in the last semester you need to show you're willing to perform proper research and improve your communication skills, so no using sources like Wikipedia or the like, show some respect for this prestigious career path and use a proper search engine and valued websites if you're going down that route. Remember to use paragraphs and formatting, and the font must be Verdana, ten points high and double spaced. Marks will be docked if those simple basics are not followed."

Five thousand words? Piece of cake. He'd have it typed out in a matter of hours before the end of the week. Hell he'd do it today if he had any free lessons. Sadly, Wednesdays were full of massive classes that dragged on until eight at night. He wouldn't be getting home before nine o'clock and he had an early start again in the morning with a 4 hour Political studies class. Oh joy!

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lecture and he slung on his windbreaker and heaved his bag over his shoulders. His next class was about business law, and while it was slightly less boring than family law, he really couldn't be bothered going to that either. It was past lunch time and he was starving. He walked across campus towards the cafeteria. If he had to sit through another class like the last one, he'd be taking supplies with him!

He looked at the slowly darkening skies and grimaced. It was going to rain at some point today, several times according to the weather report; he just knew it was coming. Hopefully he'd be in class while it happened; he didn't fancy walking home while the heavens were open. In Esthar it was so much better, constant warmed sunshine reigned supreme in the technological city, here in Deling the citizens had every kind of weather he really did not enjoy.

He spotted the vending machines at the top of the stairs in the University lecture hall lobby as he began walking past the building. Perfect, he had plenty of change in his jeans' pocket to stock up for a much needed sugar rush.

As he slid in two coins and prepared to make his selection, he saw a flash of black and blue heading his way out of the corner of his eye. He lifted his head to see Rinoa dashing through the doors to his left with her arms full of text books. She stopped the second she saw him.

He hadn't been able to look her in the eye properly since his faux pas. The look on her face when he'd asked her for food instead of a date was somewhere between shock and confusion. He had seriously thought about it, she was very interesting. But he choked at the last second and changed his question. He felt so embarrassed with himself once the words left his lips.

The food had been spectacular though, even better for being freshly made. She took her time, slowly chopping the vegetables into equal sized pieces. He didn't get too close while she had the knife in her hands; the look on her face as she sliced through the food had him convinced she was pissed off with him.

He'd avoided being around her for lengths of time after that, and she'd made it her own mission to keep out of his way in return. That alone spoke volumes of how angry she was with him.

Rinoa however, she saw it differently. It wasn't so much that he'd asked for food, it was the way she'd handled it afterwards. As she did the prep for the meal, she frowned a lot, thinking about how stupid she'd just been. About her hair, the way she'd reacted to his compliments on it, and well, everything else that followed.

She'd made it awkward in the first place by acting so friendly, and she'd been so stunned by his answer she could only reply in monotone afterwards. She'd thought… well she was expecting a different question, and she had an answer for that to shoot out straight off the bat the second he said it. Instead he threw her off centre with one she couldn't use the answer she'd been prepared for.

She'd been flattered at his request to make her 'signature dish' but at the same time she was disappointed. Mainly with herself for expecting him to ask her out, she didn't want a boyfriend, especially not one who practically stalked her at her workplace! Well, he didn't know it was her but she did, and that was enough to make her angry with herself. She'd looked at him so imploringly, almost as if she was giving him the green light to ask. He didn't ask. She should have been relieved. Well, a large part of her was.

She reminded herself that Squall was a man, they only thought with their guts or their snakes, so she couldn't really blame him for choosing the Gluttony option. It was a lot better than the other 6 sins.

She then remembered she was running late and started towards him again in haste. She tried to make an about face and run past him to the doors on his right. And when I say her arms were full of books, I mean she had about a dozen thick, hard backed volumes stacked tightly under her chin. One of them slipped from the middle of the pile as she moved as swiftly as possible to get past him.

Unfortunately she couldn't see the stairs coming up and tripped over the book that fell, sending the rest of them flying across the floor as she lost her balance and began her descent down the set of steps.

Squall couldn't move fast enough to stop her; it happened so quickly as she grabbed at the central banister to steady herself. His heart jumped to his throat. She tucked herself into a ball as she realised she was going down the stairs, holding her head tightly as she bounced off each step. She landed at the bottom of the eleven tall steps in an uncomfortable-looking heap on her back.

"Ouch!" she winced as she tried to sit up

Squall jumped down as fast as he could, along with several other students who had witnessed the accident. There were two girls trying to help her up as she rubbed her right arm. Her funny-bone was tingling, making her feel numb from her wrist to her elbow.

"Oh my Hyne, are you ok?!" one of them asked, pulling her to her knees. Rinoa pushed her arms out to steady herself as she crouched on the floor.

"Yeah, just a bit shook up that's all. Thanks for asking."

"Didn't you like, hit your head or something? It was, like, such a nasty fall!" the other girl exclaimed. Rinoa put her hand over her eyes and frowned behind it.

_No shit sweetheart! Try being the one who fell, you fucking bimbo!_

She raised her head with a fake smile to the two girls at her sides. Fortunately they were too stupid to realise it was forced.

"Yeah I think I did but I'm ok though. It was a freak accident, could've been anyone else really."

"We should take you to the nurse's office to have you checked out. C'mon let's get you on your feet."

Rinoa shakily got to her feet and rubbed the back of her head. A small trickle of blood ran down between her eyes.

"Thanks for your help but I need to get to class… Oh! Where are my books!?" she asked frantically, her eyes locked on the top section of the staircase. "I need to get them back!"

She took a rushed step forward and her legs suddenly gave way beneath her.

"Whoa!" a strong pair of arms caught her under her arms before her bum hit the floor. "Calm down about the books, you need to see a nurse. Thanks girls, I'll take her myself."

She tilted her head backwards and looked up through her bangs to see Squall's face looking back at her, his features set in determination. Her heart started beating faster behind her ribs.

"Hey you…" she whispered. He smiled a tiny bit.

"Hey yourself." He replied, noting the cut under her hairline. "Come on let's go. I'll take you to the nurse."

_Ok Rinoa, next time think about what you say! 'Hey you' is a totally stupid thing to say when you've been avoiding him like the plague!_

Suddenly aware she had made a spectacle of herself with an audience in tow, she pushed her back against his chest to stand on her own two feet. She leaned forward, hoping he'd release her shoulders.

"I'm fine. Stop making such a fuss. I'm a lot tougher than I look. It doesn't hurt anymore."

He kept his hold under her shoulders, too afraid to let her go in case her knees buckled again.

"I don't buy that for a single second. You just fell down a flight of stairs; you need checking over even if you feel fine, you should know this being a med student after all. I'll be surprised if you don't need stitches for that gash on your head. Keep moving."

He pushed her towards the door. She shook her shoulders in an attempt to get him to let go of her. His hands stayed firmly in place.

"Drop it ok? Look I'm late for class and I need to get those text books back."

"No, you've hurt yourself carrying those damn things around. Do you not have a bag to hold them in?" he looked around for a bag he may have missed and came up short.

"Yes I do, the bag happens to be in my classroom. Along with my jacket and other things." Rinoa huffed, knuckling her forehead. "I had to run out of class to get these out of my bike because I had no room in my bag to carry them."

He raised his eyebrow incredulously. "You needed that many books, for one class?"

She rolled her eyes at him and stood her ground.

"I'm majoring in medical studies; I need all of those books for my lessons, ok? Will you let me go to my class to get my bag? I promise I'll go to the nurse after that."

He shook his head at her.

"Somehow I don't trust you will do that. I'll escort you to your class and take you to the office once you've collected your bag. I don't want my conscious tainted if you have another accident."

"Oh shut up, I can look after myself. I've been doing it for years, so butt out." She snapped, slapping his hands off her shoulders. "Nothing's broken, I'm fully aware of my surroundings and besides you being a pain in the arse fussing over me I'm perfectly fine." She started walking away towards the stairs to retrieve her books. "I'm really late for class now and I can't afford to miss anything that could end up on the mid-term exams- Oh!"

As predicted, her legs gave way again after a few strides and she fell forward onto her knees. Squall grasped at her and pulled the back of her shirt. He pulled it a touch too hard. An ominous tearing sound hit his ears.

"Oh for fucks' sake!" Rinoa held the front of her shirt around her neck tightly. "Not only have I fallen down the stairs, I'm really late for class and I now have my tits out on display. Just what I needed today of all days!"

"I-It was an accident Rinoa, I swear!" Squall protested, thinking her bout of rage was directed solely at him. "I honestly didn't realise that would happen!"

She struggled to her feet, clutching her blouse and turned to face him. She held out one hand towards him. He stared at it blankly, what was she getting at?

"Hand over your jacket." She said slowly. He blinked and fiddled with the lapels at his neck.

"What? You want my…? I don't understand-"

She narrowed her eyes. "Give me your jacket Squall; I need to make myself decent. My jacket is still in my classroom; do you expect me to walk into there, exposing myself to my peers?"

"Oh! H-here!" he shrugged off his jacket and passed it over to her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled up the zipper to her chin. She knew she looked ridiculous inside the massive folds of material but at least she would keep the last shreds of her dignity intact for a few more minutes.

Taking a few baby steps, to make sure she was in no danger of her legs flying out in front of herself, she gripped the banister and pulled her way up the stairs. Her head thumped as her blood rushed to her cheeks. This was so embarrassing!

She reached the top of the stairs and saw some kind soul had stacked her books into a pile next to the vending machines. Well, at least she didn't need to worry about replacing them; they had cost her an arm and a leg in Gil that she really didn't want to spend again. she'd spent enough in the last month to last her a year!

She bent down to pick the books and found it a struggle to straighten her back. The books probably weighed a ton combined, that was no lie, they were very heavy. It was so much easier sliding them off a higher surface than the floor. She sighed in frustration and pulled herself up, wincing as she did so.

Squall trotted up behind her and took the pile from her aching arms.

"Hey!" she protested.

"I'll get them for you, just tell me what room you're heading for and I'll keep hold of them." He shifted the books in his arms. "Geez! How have you not put your back out with these things?! They're way too heavy for a slip of a thing like you!"

"Shut up and give them back then! I'm not a helpless little girl, you know!"

"No, I said I'd carry them for you, stop being so damn difficult!"

"I'm not being difficult; you're being a pain in the arse! Hand them over!"

He hesitantly handed the books over and shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"You really are a stubborn little princess aren't you? I was trying to do a nice thing and you throw it back in my face."

She glared over the top of her hefty books at him.

"No, the nice thing ended when you criticized my stature with a stereotype. So what if these are heavy books, I manage perfectly fine, alright? I don't need some guy stepping in to help me cos I look incapable because I am far from that. And so do a lot of girls." She turned in the direction of her classroom and started walking off. "We're more complex than you think. Get that through your head quickly or there's no hope for you."

He blinked at her retreating figure through the doors. There was something about the way she shouted that last sentence over her shoulder… no hope for him? In what respect did she mean those words? Was she referring to herself, or girls in general?

He started after her, he wanted a clarification. She was fascinating, blowing hot and cold like that, she certainly knew how to make a guy work for it.

When he caught up with her, she was standing outside of a room further down the hall, looking into the window. The look on her face said it all, she'd missed something vital.

"Hold up! You still have my jacket on." He said, walking over to the door. He was met with the weighty books being thrust into his arms. She reached for the handle of the door, taking deep breaths.

"I'll bring it right back, ok? Just… give me a few minutes to speak to my professor. Sorry if I've made you late for your next class."

"It's fine, I don't mind missing it. Just hurry up so I can get you to the nurse."

Like he was worried he'd miss something important, he was only still attending Deling U because he would rather finish his subjects and get the grades. He knew it all already so he could skip it all and pass the exams easily, it was the coursework that would suffer though, he'd get half the marks if he skipped the classes. There was no way he'd attempt to guess what the coursework topics were, the curriculum was so vast and he didn't have the time to waste writing about everything, he'd never be able to sleep!

Besides, he'd get the notes off his classmate Richard later; he recorded every lecture on his smartphone, so he would Bluetooth him the file later so he could see if anything was missed while he was aiding a not-so-much-of-a damsel in distress.

"Thanks." She opened the door and walked inside the room. Squall stood next to the door lying in wait. If she didn't come back out in the next few minutes he'd be going in after her.

He heard her apologising profusely to her teacher for being late. He could hear the concern in her teacher's voice as she asked about the blood on her face. Rinoa gave a small explanation about her fall and said she was heading to the nurse's office to have it looked at, sorry but she'd have to miss the lesson today, she was only stepping in to get her things.

Her teacher tells her to be careful next time and she'd see her on Friday morning before class so she can catch up on what was being covered today. He heard her sigh and say her thanks.

It was another two minutes before the door opened and she came out with very pink cheeks. He couldn't help but notice how cute she was with a bit of colour on her face; she was normally so composed and level headed. It was kind of… sweet seeing her so flustered.

"Wow… that was so humiliating! Why didn't you tell me I had blood all over my face!?" she demanded.

"Hey, I did say you had a gash on your forehead, you chose to ignore me and insist on going in there. I'd hold up my hands up in defence but you shoved your textbooks into them."

"Agh! Always an excuse!" she pouted. "Well come on then, let's go."

"Eh? Go where?" he asked, completely baffled. She rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"The nurse's office, Squall. You know, the place you were going to take me earlier? Oh never mind, forget I said it, just give me my books and I'll be on my way."

"Fine then, here you go." He thrust the pile into her arms, causing her balance to be knocked off centre. "I really don't know why I bothered wasting my time." He said, stalking off.

"You're such a jerk, you know that!?" she hollered as he strode down the corridor. He nearly stopped in his tracks to lay down some home truths about her, but he wouldn't stoop to her level.

Hyne, girls _were_ complex, she wasn't exaggerating there! One minute she was flushing as he inspected her head injury, then she was getting up in his face for wanting to take her to the nurse, then she was acting all shy around him because she'd realised she wasn't totally alright and then she was back to throwing insults at him. A vicious cycle if ever there was one. Why the hell _had_ he bothered?

_Hey, she's cute; you know that's why you went out of your way to help. She may not ask or want it, but you know she appreciated it deep down._

"Whatever."

He stepped out of the building and to his chagrin, he realised it was raining. Heavy drops of water pounded the sidewalk outside the building like a waterfall. As the liquid hit his back he remembered Rinoa still had his jacket on… with his house keys, cash and phone in the pockets. And he'd walked off without getting it back off her.

"Dammit!"

* * *

Forty minutes later

Rinoa left the nurse's office with a hefty bandage over her forehead. Oh yes, she'd done herself some damage; besides bruising her ribs she'd needed thirteen stitches in all on her head. Squall had been right with that prediction. Thankfully her wobbly legs had been due to the shock from the fall; it would wear off once the shot of adrenaline the nurse gave her kicked in.

She had a 5 day prescription for painkillers which she had no intention of collecting. Despite what people thought, students in Galbadia did _not_ get free medical treatments, they had to pay for everything and claim it back on their family health insurance. Rinoa would rather die than use her father's insurance number, even for her eyewear. It cost more in the monthly premiums than the actual treatments did, which made the need for such an insurance moot.

She had taken off Squall's jacket in the office, swapped it for her own tough blue leather and had it draped over her arm. She'd have to wait until he got home to give it back, something told her he was probably in his class now and she had no idea which department or floor that would be.

She'd brought out her keys from her pocket, swinging them from her teeth. She was advised by the nurse not to drive her bike, but she really didn't want to walk for thirty odd minutes in the pouring rain to get home. Especially not with all these text books, it'd take her hours.

She could get the bus… but she hated using public transport. Taxi? Too expensive, especially if she had to get back to the University tomorrow, it wasn't worth the money, considering she'd spent two week's food budget on her hair the other week. She'd worked extra hard to recoup that money at work, she hadn't felt right spending so much.

Slowly it was growing on her, the style had been well received at work but she still covered it over with a ridiculous amount of coloured extensions. It didn't feel natural being so light; she missed the weight of it on her shoulders. It'd grow back eventually, but who knows? She may end up liking it this way and stick with it. The whole point of having it done was because she'd felt like a change; it wasn't _too_ drastic, was it? Squall had said it suited her… he'd liked it. He'd been so nice to her…

She shook her head, no more thinking about Squall and what he thought of her hair. He'd insulted her and she hated people mocking her size. Sure she wasn't average height like the rest of the girls who lived in Deling, but unlike those girls, she could mop the floor with someone Squall's size. Hell, she'd taken on bigger guys and sent them off in tears for worse offenses. And she hadn't dropped the books to put him in his place _why_?!

Something had stopped her, she didn't know what. Perhaps the reason she hadn't brained the guy was because he was a challenge. She liked challenges, but only word and number problems. She may have said girls were complicated, but some guys, especially Squall could be the same. She knew this from Fisher; now that guy had serious issues, and being around Squall seemed to bring them to the surface. But what was it about Squall he disliked so much, what was it that brought out the worst in her boss?

Ok, she was backtracking again; she had to stop thinking about Squall. The more she thought about him, the more she started liking him. She refused to go down that path; he brought out a side of her she wanted to keep hidden; the honest and open part, the vulnerable side of her persona. She was content with keeping her secret life that; a secret.

She only had to spend a year living under the same roof as this guy; she didn't need to declare her private life to him anymore than she already had. She could be a recluse once again; keep everything locked back and focus solely on her studies. But… it was no fun being on your own, nobody could understand her desire for peace and to be left to herself and felt the need to butt in on that. She'd always coped fine on her own so far, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Focus on your goals Rinoa, don't get side-tracked. Remember what you want to achieve and keep repeating it until it sinks in. No more distractions!" she muttered through the keys in her mouth as the rain drops splashed against her face. She walked across the campus towards the car park.

* * *

Squall stomped through the university, searching the halls for the nurse's office. It should have been easy but it wasn't. He'd never been there before, so why had he offered to take Rinoa when he didn't have a clue where to take her?

Well, to put it shortly he'd felt responsible in a way for her accident. If he hadn't been there at the machines, she wouldn't have stopped to stare at him for that brief moment; her book wouldn't have slipped out of her grasp and made her fall.

Actually that's not really true; it would have happened whether he'd been there or not. There was something about her that made him want to get involved in the situation when it happened. She had looked so fragile and defenceless sprawled out on the floor below his feet when she'd hit the ground and a part of him felt responsible. Or at least wanted to.

Oh who was he kidding; if it had been anyone else he'd have offered his assistance. He wasn't the kind of guy to walk away if someone clearly needed help. But she wasn't just anyone though. She was different, he couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed so familiar and yet a stranger to him at the same time. Maybe it's because she was; he'd only known her three weeks. But like with Alexa, he found her fascinating. The way she spoke in riddles, blew hot and cold in a flash. The way she laughed, pouted, shouted, everything about her was interesting.

Ok… he understood. He had a crush on her… her _and_ Alexa. This was new to him, he'd never felt so guided towards two women before. But one of them was completely out of his reach, one he could not cross a line with. But which one was the unobtainable and who did he like more? The dancer or the doctor? Alexa or Rinoa?

He needed some serious downtime once he got home to think this over properly. His number one priority right now was getting his jacket back so he _could_ get home!

Finally he spotted the office at the end of the hallway he was walking around. He made a beeline for the door and looked through the plate of glass in the middle. He couldn't see her waiting in there. He boldly opened the door and entered.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked him. His eyes swivelled around, wondering whether she'd come in at all.

"Uh, yeah, I'm looking for someone. I was wondering if you could help me find her."

"Young man, this is a nurse's office, not a speed dating registry." The receptionist snapped her gum in her mouth at him.

_Dumbass! Next time be specific._

"Er sorry, I meant that my housemate might have come in here earlier?" he asked carefully. "Rinoa Heartilly? Short girl, dark hair, carrying loads of books with a huge cut on her face? Is she being seen to?"

"She may have, but I can't confirm that. Patient confidentiality and all. Sorry." The snotty woman replied.

"Right, well. Thanks." _For nothing._

He sighed as he left the room. Ok so he wasn't going to find her after all. Worth a shot, but he still had the problem of how the hell he was getting home. He supposed he could call up Seifer or Irvine to pick him up, he was sure their classes were later this afternoon.

He retraced his steps back down three flights of stairs and two left turn corridors until he recognised the floor he was back on. If he'd been a freshman he'd have had some kind of map for this place, it was much bigger than he'd first thought.

He looked at the large window alongside the last set of stairs. The sky was still black and hurling down its abuse. He really didn't want to get wet out there, he thought as he walked past the overlook of the campus car park. A flash of lightning caught his eye and he looked down at the ground below.

Then he saw her, stepping across the tarmac, heading for her bike. He picked up his feet and flew down the stairs in her direction. If he could stop her, he'd get his jacket back and get himself home.

He ran through the double doors leading to the car park, through a sheet of pouring rain which drenched him through the back of his shirt in a matter of seconds.

_Perfect, just perfect._

"RINOA!" he yelled over the loud patter of raindrops on the ground. She didn't look up as she kept on walking through the large puddles. His trainers sank into each pool of accumulated water on the ground, soaking through his socks and splashing water halfway up his jeans.

"Hey! Rinoa stop!" he called out as he caught up to her. She was now wearing her helmet and she'd opened the front seat on her bike and was piling her text books into the compartment. His jacket was sitting around her shoulders. Her head looked up to see him advancing on her, soaked right through. She snapped the visor up on her helmet.

"I thought you'd gone home!" she shouted through the sound of thunder rolling above their heads.

She saw his white shirt clinging to him like a second skin, emphasizing the muscles she'd seen that first morning. His pectoral muscles were wide and smooth looking under the white of his shirt, almost see through, she could make out his nipples erect from the cold.

"I thought _you_ had!" he called back, brushing back his saturated hair from his eyes. "Now, would you mind giving me back my jacket before I die of pneumonia?!"

She pulled the slightly damp leather from her back and handed it over to him.

He took it from her fingers, his eyes roaming over her leather clad figure, taking in how it snuggled up to her subtle curves. Now he liked leather as much as any guy; he owned a pair of leather pants which he adored… but the way she wore her simple protective gear had him thinking… bad things.

He mentally slapped himself, enough of those thoughts. He'd have plenty of time for those once he was home. He had to leave now before he started babbling nonsense

Thankfully she had her helmet on, it would have given her away that her face was flushing red as she thought wickedly of him pressing those muscles against her in a fiery wave of passion. Rain water and all. An involuntary jolt between her legs caught her by surprise.

Suddenly he spoke, bringing her out of her perverted revere and she looked up to his face. Water rolled down his forehead, dripping down his well-defined nose, trailing down to his thin pink lips and falling off his chiselled jaw. Even wet, he looked so hot.

"I gotta go now before I catch a chill. I hope you saw the nurse; I'll be very disappointed in you if you didn't. Later!"

He threw the jacket over his head and pounded across the car park towards the building. She stared after him, watching his jeans clinging to his wide hips, trailing down to the curve of his firm backside. She snapped out of her trance as a spray of falling water hit her face.

Ok she definitely needed to stop thinking about him. Right now! Especially like that, he was only going to be trouble for her, the aching in her head was proof. Let a guy distract you and he'd have you in pain. Even her heart ached in her chest and that alone was enough of a sign for her. She wouldn't fall for him. She couldn't.

* * *

**Author's Note II:** Ok I am not 100% what happened to this chapter. I was going to put in a session at the strip club but that may have to be for the next chapter now. Only a few more and the really good stuff starts; I have four consecutive chapters pre-written that I am dying to post! But I am restraining myself because another event has to come into play before I do that. Hope you've missed my citrusy stuff, because they are soon to appear on your screens! ***Fan girl squeal*** I am sooo psyched out to get them up! Better start writing chapter ten so I can get them up before my birthday on the 21st… 18 days to write two/three more chapters and start on the other four… doable? What do you reckon?

**Chapter Ten: Raging Desires :** Rinoa does her best to stop thinking about Squall but temptation becomes too much for her. Squall gets very brave when speaking with Alexa at the club for his private dance. He starts asking her questions about her tattoo and then blurts out something he hadn't planned to say… and gets a very shocking response in return!

Don't forget to review guys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note:** So alrighty! Things are about to get more interesting, but I would like to share my disappointment! Tsk tsk, reading and running gives me no idea if I'm keeping you interested or not; it looks like no-one really enjoys my writing anymore because the distinct lack of feedback says it all.

Thoughts are in _Italics_. But when they are in the same room: _**Bold italics**_ for Rinoa, regular **Bold** for her heart and _regular italics_ for Squall.

**Last Chapter:**

"I gotta go now before I catch a chill. I hope you saw the nurse; I'll be very disappointed in you if you didn't. Later!"

He threw the jacket over his head and pounded across the car park towards the building. She stared after him, watching his jeans clinging to his wide hips, trailing down to the curve of his firm backside. She snapped out of her trance as a spray of falling water hit her face.

Ok she definitely needed to stop thinking about him. Right now! Especially like that, he was only going to be trouble for her, the aching in her head was proof. Let a guy distract you and he'd have you in pain. Even her heart ached in her chest and that alone was enough of a sign for her. She wouldn't fall for him. She couldn't.

**Chapter Ten: Raging Desires**

**Friday 16****th**** September 12:47pm**

"So you've got an extra class next week; it could have been worse! At least she's given you a chance to catch up on the lesson you missed." Selphie said encouragingly. Rinoa cradled her face in her hands.

"I feel like I'm back in high school again, it's no different to being given a detention. I had stuff planned for Tuesday morning and now I have to spend it taking lots of notes. Not one of my classmates even offered to help me out by sharing theirs so I didn't have to come in early." She said miserably, picking at the chips on her plate.

"That's gotta suck, I mean who wouldn't want to help you out if you needed it? If I was in your class I'd have photocopied my notes for you straight after class and told you about the report. You know I would have."

They were sitting in the kitchen having a takeaway lunch. Rinoa needed a bit of junk today after an unsettling morning. She'd turned up to the classroom early as her professor had asked but she'd been in a faculty meeting and had arrived five minutes before the lesson was due to start. Far from being apologetic for forgetting about meeting with Rinoa beforehand, she'd just told her to come in the following Tuesday morning to copy out the work she'd missed.

Rinoa had been devastated to learn she had a report due the following week too; she only had four days to complete it in time for Wednesday's lesson and the topic had been covered in the lesson she'd missed out on. This meant she had to spend Tuesday evening writing a 3000 word essay after her medical centre lesson finished at 6 o'clock. This also meant losing out on money because she was supposed to be in work that night too. And doing the essay half-assed would not look good on her yearly performance report, all of these things went into her portfolio and it wouldn't look good to the doctors at Esthar Royal if they saw her do less than perfect work. Satisfactory just wouldn't cut it.

"But not everyone is like you Sel. Do I send out weird vibes or something? The people I want to help me don't bother or refuse to, and the people I don't want help from decide to butt in. On top of that I have to miss out on work to get this assignment in on time." She muttered through a bite of her food. Selphie waved a fry at her dismissively.

"Nah, they're all stuck up snobs. Present company excluded of course. Boss knows how tough this course is for you; he probably won't mind giving you the night off. How's your head by the way? Are the stitches being removed yet?"

Rinoa pushed her banged fringe up so Selphie could take a look. The stitches had only been small and very neatly put in, but the stupid nurse had sutured it with a dark pink thread on her face, she looked like a stuffed toy under her hairline. The cut had been deep too; starting from just under her hair and finishing above her left eyebrow. She was quite thankful she had a fringe put in now; the colour of the thread was very noticeable on her pale skin and it was covered up nicely so nobody would stare.

"The pain's mostly gone now; it still tingles when I frown though. But hopefully it won't leave a scar. I know Fisher won't mind me missing my shift but I will; the income is really important to me Selphie. I can't afford to miss out."

"Well I know you have emergency funds to dip into so stop pleading poverty will you? You could always speak to your dad about the tuition money he saved for you-"

"I'd rather chop off my own hand Selphie, you know as well as I do that my independence is important and I'll just have to manage on what I've got. You know the emergency fund isn't to cover sick days or whatever else. It's for genuine emergencies like my bike getting smashed up and I have to get it fixed."

Selphie shook her head. Her best friend could be such a stubborn ass at times.

"You're such a skinflint Rinny! I only work to get the money _my_ parents _won't_ give me to waste on non-academic stuff. You could be normal and accept what he offers you. Hyne knows your dad spoils you something rotten."

Rinoa rolled her eyes in response.

"Correction: he _spoiled_ me. Once I was old enough to get a job I went out there and cut off all financial ties. Even the credit card was cancelled from lack of use. And he had no say in that; it was my choice. I like my freedom ok?"

"Freedom from what exactly?" Selphie dared to ask her friend with a snooty tone. She'd always wondered what this so called 'freedom' was and had never felt brave enough to question Rinoa's motives.

Rinoa sparked up a cigarette and took a deep breath on it.

"Do I need a specific reason? Freedom in general, nothing except my course tying me down so that when I graduate I can just head off without looking back or having any regrets. I don't want to feel like I owe my dad anything for putting me through university."

Selphie rolled her eyes at her. "Like he'd make you feel obligated to pay him back for it all. It's a parent's prerogative to pay for their child's education. Especially when they're the only one they have. He cares about you a lot, you know."

"Yes and he suffocates me!" Rinoa slammed her hand on the table. "Every week he emails me, begging me to come home. It's not like I've up and left for good but wow, the man irritates me! I can't wait to leave this dead end town and move to Esthar for a better life."

"That's all I ever hear you say and it is getting very old." Selphie said with a moan. "If you hate living in Deling so much then why did you even bother to attend the University?"

"Because Deling University is the best in the country; that is the only reason I've stuck around here. Can we change the subject now please?"

"Ok." She looked thoughtful for a brief moment. "So what are you doing about the Squall thing?"

Rinoa's head shot up and she did her best to look stupefied. "W-what Squall thing? There's nothing going on Selphie."

"I beg to differ. I've seen the way you look at him when he comes into work; like he's an adorable little puppy you want to bring home. Getting a soft spot are we?"

Rinoa flushed red. "Be quiet will you? What if my housemates come down and hear us?"

"You said they were all in class today, so we've got the house free. So c'mon, spill it out."

"Yeah, this afternoon I said they were in class! Besides we're veering off topic."

"Oh so you _want _to talk about him then?" Selphie teased. "Awww, look at you! You're blushing!"

She knew full well that her friend fancied him like crazy; she could see it every time he walked through those doors. Rinoa's eyes sparkled and she behaved in a manner that would suggest she had strong feelings for him. Even though it was a dangerous game to play, she knew Rinoa would not be able to help herself once she got started.

"Oh shut up! I don't want to talk about him; why would I?"

Selphie loved seeing Rinoa all flustered; she was so easy to wind up once she got like this.

"Deny all you want but I can see it on your face. Hey, if he hadn't been 'that guy', would you have jumped him by now? Do you fap off while thinking of him?"

Rinoa's eyes bugged out so much she nearly popped a contact out.

"Hyne Selphie! That's disgusting! You need to stop hanging around with Kat and Molly; you're turning into a proper little pervert!" she exclaimed with a shudder, her face bright red.

"And you're the biggest prude I know. A little fantasy like that is harmless. Besides, you're fun to tease. I already got my answer. You want him so bad! I can't say I don't see why; he is pretty gorgeous, it is a shame he's the stalkerazzi otherwise I'd go for him myself."

"Oh my Hyne Sel, really!" Rinoa said in exasperation. She could hardly believe her ears; Selphie may not like the guy but she was suggesting Rinoa used him as a sexual fantasy aid. It was ridiculous, even though the idea _had_ crossed her mind recently. "I thought you wanted me to steer clear?"

"Yeah I do, but it still doesn't mean you can't use the idea of him for your personal pleasure." Selphie gave her a wide smile, her eyes all-knowing and sparkling with mischief. "You gotta admit, he is worthy of being eye candy."

"I am not going to entertain this subject Selphie. Drop it!"

Selphie shook her head. "Nuh uh. This is way too much fun." She said childishly.

"I swear I will break up with you right now if you don't stop it!" Rinoa hissed. She didn't mean it though, Selphie was her best ever friend and she valued their friendship greatly. Just sometimes, Selphie would go a bit too far with her quizzing, no matter how dirty she got the topic. This was way too private a subject.

The kitchen door swung open and in walked Irvine and Seifer. Irvine was wearing light blue jeans and sported an extremely geeky black t-shirt with a ridiculous joke about going from a floppy disk to hard drive in 60 seconds.

"Heeey Rinoa!" Irvine said with a grin, eying up Selphie beside her. "Who's your friend?"

Seifer was wearing black knee length shorts and a red t-shirt, his flaxen hair damp from the shower- the towel slung round his shoulders was a dead giveaway. He nodded in greeting to the two girls. He never did converse properly before his first coffee.

Rinoa smiled at the intruders. Well maybe that was a bit much; it was the kitchen, everyone came in here at some point. She was quite grateful they showed up, Selphie would stop her incessant probing about Squall for now. Even she wouldn't be stupid enough to go on about it with these two here.

"Hi Irvine, this is my friend Selphie. Sel this is Irvine and Seifer. They're my other housemates. The only one you have yet to meet is called Zell."

Selphie instantly recognised the pair and gave Rinoa a small dirty sideways glance that Rinoa failed to see. She smiled up at the two men before her with her teeth showing eagerly.

"Hello there. Rinny's mentioned you once or twice but she never told me how handsome you were." She said in a tone that Rinoa knew she used when she spoke to clients. She _so_ knew who they were. Irvine smiled even bigger.

"Well she never told us she had such a cute friend." He said, sitting beside her. Seifer slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"Blech! Do you have to Kinneas?" he said in distaste as he walked towards the counter where the kettle resided. "Forgive him Selphie, he's a lecher, you may need to stay ten feet away from him at all times." He added with a smirk as he flicked the switch on the kettle and brought out three mugs from the cupboard.

Rinoa and Selphie burst into giggles and Irvine looked marginally unimpressed at his blonde friend.

"Hey man, I resent that! Don't say things like that in front of the ladies now."

"Oooh! You hear that Rin? We're 'ladies'!" Selphie said between snorts of laughter.

Glad for the distraction from the subject of her love life; or lack of, Rinoa chuckled back good-naturedly.

"So… have we met? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Irvine commented, looking Selphie up and down. Rinoa's smile faded as she felt a wave of panic overwhelm her.

_Shit, if he recognises her from work then we're screwed! Selphie you better not remind him!_

Selphie waved dismissively.

"Nope. Not unless you're studying Human Biology and Psych then I don't think we have. Maybe you saw me on campus or something?"

Irvine studied her a bit closer, trying to place where he may have seen her before. His face softened as he came up short for ideas.

"Hmmm, yeah that must be it. Though I'm disappointed in myself, that I'd walked past a pretty face like yours and not noticed you before." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rinoa almost face-palmed at the sickeningly sweet display.

_Oh my Hyne! I'm gonna hurl! Selph you're smarter than this; do not play along!_

"Oh my, Irvine you're such a charmer. I'm flattered." Selphie said with a tone Rinoa knew was forced out. Well, at least she though it was. Selphie was such a flirt, but surely she recognised the guy sitting beside her, maybe she'd take her own advice and steer clear of Irvine too.

"Ok enough of this mush! It is too early for this kind of talk." Seifer said as he turned around with two coffees and handed one to his friend.

"Hey man it's like ten past one in the afternoon; that is hardly early!" Irvine countered accepting the hot drink and taking a sip of the dark bitter liquid.

"Which remind me Irvine, have you woken up Puberty Boy yet? He'll be late for class if he doesn't move his arse."

"Puberty Boy?" Selphie mouthed at Rinoa, who simply shrugged at her. Irvine took a swig from his cup.

"Hey, he has his own alarm clock Seifer; he doesn't need us to drag him out of his pit every day."

Seifer slurped on his coffee. "Prank the lazy git then. I am not having him get all stroppy cos we didn't wait around for him to get up."

Irvine pulled out his phone and started fiddling with the buttons. Seifer turned to the two girls at the table. "Would you two like a drink while the kettle is still hot? There's enough water in here if you want a coffee?"

"I don't know… we're supposed to be going out soon. What do you think Sel? Shall we take him up on his offer?" Rinoa asked. Selphie smiled at the tall blonde leaning against the counter.

"Sure, we've got time for one. I'll take mine white with two sugars please."

"Ok, and you Rinoa?" Seifer asked as he turned back to the cupboard for cups.

"No thanks, I'll grab a can of soda." She got to her feet and opened the fridge door and pulled out a Rio.

Seifer stirred Selphie's coffee and handed it over to her. He saw Irvine's fingers flicking frantically over buttons on his phone. "Irvine, _please_ tell me you're not texting him? He won't wake up to that."

The auburn haired man looked up with a guilty face. "C'mon Seifer, you know he'll bite my head off if I call."

Seifer snatched the device from his friend's fingers. "Fine you wimp, I'll call him then."

"Not on my phone bro! He'll think it's me and I'll get the stick for it!" Irvine reached out to retrieve his phone back. Seifer moved it above his head and gave an evil smile.

"Actually, why don't you head on up there instead? Bash the shit out of his door and leg it back down here before he catches you?"

Selphie was struggling to contain her giggles. They may be perverts but they were hilarious!

"I don't think that'd be a good idea Seifer. I wouldn't find it very funny." Squall's voice came from the doorway. All heads swivelled round to see the tired young man giving evils to his blonde companion. Seifer smiled at him and swivelled on his heels to make another drink at the counter.

"Well good afternoon Puberty Boy, nice to see you're alive at last."

Selphie snorted into her coffee as she got the reference. Puberty Boy indeed! She remembered his attempt to tongue Rinoa's mouth at the club, like a horny teenager. How very appropriate!

Squall frowned at her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing" she answered quickly. A little too quickly. "Private joke Rinny told me earlier, I uh, finally got it."

Rinoa flushed beet red as his gaze switched to her direction.

"D-don't look at me like that, it wasn't about you!" she said defensively and took a swig of her drink as his blue-grey eyes burned onto her in silent flames. She felt her pelvic floor contract under his gaze. Crap! She was still having those thoughts about him.

_Thanks for bringing me into the conversation Selphie! I will get you for this later, I swear!_

Seifer and Irvine watched the exchange with ill-disguised interest.

"Pfft, like I'd believe that for one second." He said grumpily. He turned towards Seifer. "Any water left for _my_ coffee? I see you made everyone else one. Oh and stop using that ridiculous nickname for me; it is no longer amusing."

"Leonheart you were the one still snuggled under your blanket; don't treat me like your personal maid." Seifer said and slung him a fresh drink.

"Whatever." He faced Rinoa again. "So did you see the nurse in the end?"

_Why did he have to bring it up now? Like I don't feel stupid enough about it already!_

"Yes." She said irritably. He cocked his eyebrow at her as he took a sip of his drink.

"Really?"

Rinoa petulantly lifted her fringe so he could see the stitches. "Yes, satisfied now?" she asked angrily. She felt Selphie's gaze on her, knowing exactly what the small girl was thinking. She'd already told her in painful detail about her accident, so she knew she was not going to be quizzed on that again.

"Nice scar Rinoa, how'd you manage that?" Seifer asked with interest.

"I was fortunate to witness the whole thing Seifer. She tripped over her own feet down a flight of stairs." Squall said before Rinoa could open her mouth to answer. She flushed scarlet and huffed at him.

"Shut up! That's not what happened and you know it." She turned to face Selphie. "Sel? Don't we need to head out now?" she asked looking at her small companion who was just about ready to fall apart again.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah! Excuse us guys." Selphie composed herself, got to her feet and drained half of her drink quickly. "We've gotta hit the books at the library. Catch you around sometime Irvine?"

"I should hope so." Irvine nodded at her with a wink. "Next time, I'll be asking for your digits."

Rinoa steered Selphie out of the room and grunted in frustration as they reached the front door. Selphie couldn't control herself and sniggered at her.

"Ohmigosh that was so funny!" she snorted as Rinoa grabbed her jacket, pulled out her keys and yanked open the door.

"Whatever, grab your coat and let's go!"

* * *

5:12pm

Squall walked out of the lecture hall in a strop and headed for the campus exit.

"Well that was a waste of a three hour class!" he grumbled to himself.

The teacher hadn't even showed up because of a family emergency and hadn't even left a lesson plan out or arranged a cover to take over. So everyone had done their own thing and Squall had badly wished he'd brought his laptop with him to do some web surfing. The one day he hadn't, was the one day he'd actually needed it. So he'd read the text book that he'd brought with him instead. Twice.

Everyone else had been on the ball, using their tablets, netbooks or smartphones to play things like Disgruntled Chocobos, use the social networking site HiYou and watch videos on MyTube. The battery on his phone was practically dead. Maybe if he'd charged the damn thing last night he'd have been able to do something that didn't make him want to gouge his eyes out while everyone else had fun. The book was boring… well so was the whole curriculum in general.

He stomped across the campus sulking. Girls walked past him and swooned at his brooding stance. He didn't even bother to notice; he had his mind on enough girls as it was, he didn't need more coming into the equation. The two he was interested in were more than he was prepared to handle right now.

He was very much looking forward to his dance tonight. In six hours' time he'd have Alexa straddling his lap and invoking the beast within him. But that wasn't the only thing he had on his agenda, he was planning on asking her about herself again. He wasn't stupid enough to do anything rude or offensive again, just a few simple questions while she rotated her hips on him to keep his mind out of the gutter. Perfectly reasonable.

Thoughts of Rinoa also flooded his mind. Sure he was starting to think of her as very attractive but it was a bit of a risk. He lived with the girl, meaning if he did date her, and they broke up for whatever reason, would it not be awkward to see her every day? Hell, it was awkward right now and they were barely even friends!

For some reason he'd wanted to annoy Rinoa in the kitchen earlier. Maybe he was pulling the whole treat-'em-mean game and he liked seeing her act so out of character. Well, for what he'd seen was her character anyway.

Or maybe it was to do with the fact her short friend had been sniggering at him and he had known full-well that Rinoa had said something about him. That much was obvious; she'd stared at him so intently for the few minutes they hung around in the kitchen, like she had something to hide.

Then it hit him; she must have told her what had almost happened in the kitchen on his birthday. That incident coupled with Seifer's 'fond' nickname must have been what set her off. Well, he had hoped to forget about it and Rinoa had said they could start over. She obviously couldn't keep quiet about tarnishing his reputation, or what was left of it. He hated strangers judging him; he was a human being at the end of the day. Besides… some things couldn't be helped!

All he'd heard after they'd vacated the premises was Irvine going on about her friend; he could see it a mile off that the guy was infatuated with the miniature laughing machine. He'd made a point telling Irvine to back off; you don't screw around with housemates or their friends. Oddly enough he was saying that more to himself than to Irvine.

His feet scuffed the pavement as he walked out of the campus grounds and turned towards the bus terminal at the end of the road.

* * *

5:33pm

Rinoa entered the house and ran up the stairs very fast to her room. Her breathing was heavy and the colour of her skin was as dark as the stitches on her face.

_Stupid Selphie, why'd she show me those bloody pictures?! And then she had to put Squall in my head!_

It had taken an hour for her to find the books she needed to take notes from and Selphie had teased her non-stop while they were sitting over them in the library, purposely pulling out biology books on the human body and showing her the pages filled with male anatomy. Rinoa went pink and told her to put it back on the shelf she found it on.

And then Selphie had embarrassed her further by bringing out books on spicing up your sex life. Hey, who said it was the campus library? Public ones do have these sorts of things in their archives too you know!

"How about we go clubbing and pick someone up for you to bring home; you'd be a different person if you got laid already. Or maybe it's Squall that you wanna get freaky with eh?" she'd waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe you could borrow this and try out this position with him huh?"

She'd shown her a book based on the Karma Sutra and flicked onto a double spread page showing a couple in a very erotic clinch. It showed step by step how the two people in the contents contorted their bodies into a very difficult position.

She'd gotten so flustered that she'd run out of the building with a face like a stop light and had jumped onto her bike without waiting for Selphie to follow her out. She would have to find her own way home and it served her right for working her up like that!

Sure enough, her thoughts had turned to picturing Squall naked when Selphie said his name. She'd felt hot all over with pent up frustration. It would be simple enough, to find a guy at Loveless and hook up with him, but she wasn't into the whole one-night-stand thing.

She shut her door quickly, as if someone was following her up the stairs. She was being paranoid of course but the way she was feeling, she'd hoped nobody was home at all.

It was easy for Selphie to suggest something so crude; she was hardly inexperienced when it came down to guys. Rinoa had never been with a guy before and the thought of doing the deed with a random stranger terrified her to be honest.

She dropped her belongings on the floor and shrugged off her jacket, flinging it onto her desk. Bracing herself against the door she slowly reached for the zipper on her trousers and lowered the metal fastening.

She needed relief before going into work and she sure as hell wouldn't go inside still feeling this way. It had clouded her mind a time or two before and it had been difficult to concentrate on her job properly. And if she had him as a client tonight like Fisher had said she did… well she'd be in a very difficult position!

She slid her leather pants down her legs and walked over to her bed in just her t-shirt and panties. She slid the curtains closed and climbed under the duvet with one thought in mind. And it revolved around the guy who shared this attic space with her.

* * *

5:58pm

Squall finally got through the front door and pulled off his jacket. Public transport was such a pain in the ass; he'd been forced to stand holding those stupid little handles as every man and his dog had decided to use the same bus he was on. He'd moved three times for elderly passengers and a lady with a twin pushchair before he'd had to grip the sticky yellow handle. Then he was thrust around into other passengers as the driver attempted to break the speed limit on corners.

He was fed up with using it. Seifer's car was still on campus as he was still in classes for another hour. Squall was not willing to wait around that long for a lift especially after the frustrating lesson he'd sat through with no means of entertainment.

He'd seen Rinoa's bike outside the house on his way in, she must have returned from the library. He headed for the kitchen, hoping she was in there so he could apologise for winding her up earlier.

He'd thought about it, maybe he'd been too rash about implying she was clumsy enough to fall down the stairs. He had been there and it was a freak accident.

Maybe she _had_ made a joke and Selphie was a bit too dim to catch onto it straight away. He had heard from Irvine and Seifer that they'd only been in the kitchen about ten minutes before he came down; they hadn't said much to the girls so maybe he had been mistaken. Selphie did seem like some kind of bimbo anyway, maybe she wasn't the brightest crayon in the box after all.

The kitchen was empty; the coffee mugs from lunchtime were sitting unwashed in the sink ready for the next sucker to do them. He was not going to be that person today; he'd leave it for Zell.

He took himself back towards the hallway and headed up the stairs. He listened out for signs she was in the bathrooms and heard nothing. The only other place she could be was her room. He ascended the last set of stairs and walked to her door.

He prepared to knock on the hard wood and his breath hitched in his throat as a noise from the other side reached his ears. His eyes widened. His face went bright red as he stepped away slowly and turned towards his own door.

Once he shut the door, slowly and quietly, he felt a grin forming on his face and a ripple of laughter coming up in his chest.

"Wow… Well, I never thought I'd hear that from her!" he chuckled, holding his sides as he fell face first onto his bed, muffling his hysterical chortles into the pillow.

* * *

"Ohhhh… Oh Hyne… Ohhh… Ahhh! Nyaaaa!"

Rinoa gasped into her bed sheets as she reached her crescendo. Sweating and thoroughly satisfied; she rolled onto her back feeling content with her performance. Her body shook with the afterglow tremors and soon enough slow waves of endorphins relaxed her tight muscles.

"Phew! Ohhh… wow… That was so worth the effort!" she sighed heavily, staring at the cream ceiling above her head. She smiled.

_Well Selphie, you won that round. I should thank you later for giving me the idea._

It may have taken her a while but she finally got her frustration out, and she felt so much better for it. She was glad nobody had been home to hear her. She flushed at the thought of her housemates congregating outside her door getting an earful. That would have been mortifying!

She'd thought of Squall the entire time. She'd fought hard not to call out his name as her toes curled up and her body tensed with waves of pleasure. She saw his face behind her closed eyelids, heard him whispering dirty things into her ear, imagined it was _his_ hand caressing her…

Her face went pink again, this time it was out of anger. She should never have had those thoughts, even in her private time. It felt so wrong… even if it had been her best one to date. It had been so… vivid, unlike anything she had ever thought about before. And powerful… yes definitely powerful. She wanted to think about him every time from now on.

She shook her head. It was an impossible idea; it was crazy, if she thought about him, she'd want him. And if she wanted him… she'd have to have him… and give him up later on down the line. Her dream job was worth more than that, than a fling/relationship/whatever it was supposed to or could be.

This would _not_ be happening again. She had to end it tonight. One way or another she would get him off her mind.

* * *

6:37pm

Back in his room, Squall had just about calmed down from his giggle-snort fit. His face was flush with colour; he'd bitten the insides of his mouth to stop himself cackling out loud. Rinoa would have heard him if he had.

He was very surprised at what he'd heard her doing; it was oh so clear to him. He'd seen enough videos to know what those sounds were. A sneaky thought had occurred to him when he first hit his pillow. He could have knocked on her door and teased her for being so loud or knocked and asked her if she wanted any company. Yeah… she'd have really appreciated that. _Not_.

Allison had never been that vocal with him when they were together; she was always so quiet as she lay beneath him. Barely even a moan escaped her mouth. And then he remembered hearing her blatant screams behind the door as that douche fucked her and gripped his duvet tightly in anger. His heart wrenched in his chest and bile rose in his throat.

Allison had scarred him something fierce and it had shown every day. He was partly to blame for feeling like that. He felt like he couldn't trust anyone afterwards and even when the dust had settled and he had girls coming up to ask him out, all he could do was stare blankly at them, while thinking they were all like her; cheaters, manipulators, liars.

In his darkest moments, the whole female generation was disgraced by the selfishness of that girl's actions. He still felt it, deep down; a part of him missed her badly. Even though she'd been a complete bitch to him and tore his heart into pieces, she was still his first love. And he wouldn't ever forget that for as long as he lived.

A sad smile graced his lips. So… he still wasn't over her; he thought he would be by now but she kept on haunting his mind no matter what he did or who he thought of.

Maybe seeing Alexa could fix that for him. She could help him forget.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He may as well start getting ready for tonight. It would be the high point of his week. Well… besides hearing Rinoa getting herself off.

He started laughing again and pulled out a forest green shirt from his wardrobe. Seriously, he had to stop being so silly; he'd taken an hour to calm down already, another hour would probably finish him off!

* * *

8:50pm

Rinoa looked around the stage with satisfaction. Everything was all set up for tonight.

"Are ye sure ye wanna do this Rin? Ye know I can send the kid packin' if ye don't want 'im 'ere." Fisher said as he leaned against the side door of the stage. She shook her head at him and stretched out her calves on the chair beside her.

"Nah, I've got a feeling that tonight's the night. He's finally got the opportunity to make his move and I have a very good idea that he will be doing it before the hour is up. You don't wanna miss this one Boss." She dropped her leg and turned to face him with a smile. "I promise it'll be entertaining. I want your word right now that no matter what you see, you will not interfere unless I wave at the cameras."

The tall man smirked at his tiny employee. "If yer sure about it Rin, then I'll be keeping an eye out on the cameras with anticipation."

He walked through the door and headed to his office. He had a phone call to make before she started her shift.

Privately he knew it was only a matter of time too; the kid was infatuated with her. He still couldn't stand the guy but he understood why he was so determined. A time or two he had thought if he was twenty five years younger, that he might even be tempted by her himself. Well if he didn't think of her like a sister.

His little Rin was a very special girl, she would be a fantastic doctor with the drive she had in her. He'd not seen such dedication to a career since Kara.

He used his massive fingers to dial in a number and waited patiently as the line sounded. There was a click and a deep male voice answered.

"Is that you Nathan?"

Fisher laughed. "Yeah it is, right on time as always."

"How is she doing? She still refuses to answer when I call or reply to my messages. This is as close as I get to knowing how her life is nowadays."

No hello or anything, straight to the point.

"Besides a li'l fight with a set of stairs earlier this week, she is absolutely fine. Working hard at school by the looks of things as usual." he chuckled into the receiver "She's got herself a little admirer too."

"Who is he this time? He had better not be another one of your customers Nathan." The voice growled down the line.

"Yes and no, my friend."

"Don't fuck about with me Fisher! Tell me who it is."

Fisher smiled, he loved winding this guy up. "He is a customer o'course, but there's more to it than that. According to Selphie, he lives in the same student housing as her, right across the hall. The kid is quite smitten with her, I must admit."

"I see. Have you scared him off yet?"

"Not exactly. I tried ta get 'im off her back but li'l Rin is doin' a crackin' job of keepin' 'im at arm's length by herself. I don't think the guy even knows it's her. I'd be hearin' about it by now if he did. Don't ye worry about her; she is healthy and workin' hard at both school and the club."

"That is good to hear. I'm glad you're watching over her for me Nathan, I really am. But you know I really despise her working in that dreadful place of yours."

Fisher gave one final laugh into the phone. Every week without fail this would be said. "Fury, trust me I know full well how ya feel but she isn't some dumb kid. I'll keep watch over her as long as ye need me te. I need to get back to work now; the club is about te open up the doors. She's gonna go head te head with the cretin tonight an' I really don't want to miss it. Gimme a holler later on an' I'll give ye an update."

"Thank you, I shall. And don't forget to stick that extra 200 Gil into her salary tomorrow, be discrete about it though. She cannot know I am helping her out."

"Yes sir, I give you my word." Fisher said, hanging up the phone.

Ever since she'd started here Fisher had known exactly who she was. Having served beside her father years ago, it hadn't taken him long to ring the general up and let him know about his newest employee. Naturally Fury had been livid about the whole thing, wanting to come in and drag her out. Fisher had talked him out of it; saying that she was safe and he wouldn't let any harm come to her. It would be good for her to get the independence she craved so badly and maybe he should back off and let her do what she wants. Fury had been reluctant but eventually he'd accepted it.

Rinoa had been here little more than a year now and he'd kept her father off her back with the promise of weekly updates.

Of course Rinoa had no idea that he knew her father, she'd have been less than inclined to work for him if she'd known he was calling her dad up every week. And the 200 Gil he was putting into her weekly wages? It came directly from her dad. Well if he sent any more than that, Rinoa would be suspicious. He calculated it into her wages carefully and she never questioned it.

His eyes turned to the many television screens and zoned in on the one connected to the cameras in the private room. Looks like the show was about to begin!

* * *

As he had done a few weeks earlier, Squall entered the private dance room and stepped over to chair beside the stage. A soft melody was playing as he strode across the floor, putting him on edge.

He eyed the stage; wondering when Alexa would make her appearance. He checked the time on his phone, it was five past nine. So he was a little late, he still had the best part of an hour remaining.

Behind the curtain Rinoa smiled as she saw his face set on the centre stage. Just seeing the look in his eyes had her getting worked up again; she'd imagined that intensity during her feel-good time earlier. She shook the thought from her mind. If she had the bottle to send him packing for good tonight then she could relax later.

She took a final look at herself and smiled. She'd selected a tearaway outfit with some skimpy lingerie underneath that would be sure to make him antsy.

Her fingers grazed the buttons on the surround system. She'd picked one single track for her show tonight. It would be sure to infuse and even prompt him to say what she knew was coming. He'd confess tonight, she was almost certain of that. Just peeking at him through the curtains she could see many things swimming around in his mind.

It would be a matter of time, with the routine she had planned to get him to come out with it. But this time, she wouldn't give him a chance to speak before she had the chance to strip for him. Last time hadn't ended all too well because of his incessant need to chat with her.

"Well, better get on with it! Here goes!"

She pressed play on the stereo and stepped to the middle of the stage and threw open the curtains.

A heavy guitar strumming blasted out of the stereo accompanied by a vibrant beat, catching Squall's attention to the stage as the curtains flicked open. Alexa sauntered across the stage towards him and his mouth fell open.

Besides her regulation face mask, she was wearing a tight white short sleeved blouse with a wide-knot red and white striped tie hanging loosely from her neck. She also had on a tiny pleated grey skirt, black diamond patterned fishnet hold up stockings and black platform heels. Her dark hair had been pulled into two loose side plaits with her vibrant hair extensions threaded between the twists of her hair.

_Sittin' here eatin' my heart out waitin' Waitin' for some lover to call_

She stood with her legs apart, shaking her hips in a sexy wiggle as her fingers reached for the tie around her neck and slowly pulled it undone with one hand. It slipped from her neck and she tossed it towards him to catch. His fingers snatched the scrap of material flying his way and kept his intent gaze on her body.

Her hands pushed out into fists in front of her as she bent her knees and thrust her hips forward and backwards in rhythm to the music, simulating a very dirty thought in his mind.

_Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'. I need some hot stuff baby tonight_

Every time the words 'hot stuff' came out of the speakers Alexa would push her hips in thrusts towards him, bringing her arms in and out with each beat. Her shirt would get tighter on her breasts every time her arms moved. He felt his hands griping at his knees as he watched.

She blew him a sneaky kiss before swivelling on her hips so her back faced him as she continued shaking her ass. She knew he had a good look up her skirt by this point; it was so short it was practically a belt. Also she was about three feet above him; it would be very hard for him _not_ to have seen her panties by now!

She thrust her hand out to one side and slowly reached for the base of her plaits, yanking the tiny bobble from her and shook her head to loosen the curls out. She lifted her face to focus on the pole in front of her. Should she dive onto it yet, or wait a while?

She took a glance over her shoulder at the young man at her feet. His hands were getting very close to his lap. Good, she would encourage the hell out of him. It was against the rules of the club for guys to touch themselves but she really wanted to see, for future reference, what his face would be like if he gave in. Fisher had been warned already that something could happen and she had his word that he'd restrain himself.

She faced him again, reaching for the top button on her blouse, her breasts bursting through the middle seams. His mouth dried out in a matter of seconds and he gripped his legs even higher. She kept her gaze fixed on him as she proceeded to unloop the straining button from its hold.

The other buttons on her shirt were decoys; on the other side of her think top were tacks of Velcro holding it together on her, even the back seam was made of Velcro, for easy removal. She decided to let him in on the secret and ripped it off her body, revealing the underwear she had hidden beneath. She could swear she saw him gain another inch when she did that. Squall eyes popped out even wider.

_Holy fuck!_

Beneath her shirt she'd worn a white front clipped bra that had the cup removed, with a red tassel attached to each of her nipples. She had no shame in shaking herself at him, making the tiny strands of fabric swish around, sweeping across the rest of her semi bare chest.

Never before had a school uniform given him such a thrill. She made them seem so much sexier and now he would never look at them the same way again.

He was very aware of the position of his fingers, slowly creeping up the right side of his inner thigh. He knew he shouldn't, that he should resist the urge building up in him but it was getting very difficult to control the appendage between his legs, it had a mind of its own, pulsing against the fabric of his pants, aching to be touched.

She yanked at her skirt, tearing it off in the same manner she'd removed her shirt and he felt a massive surge rush through him. Her panties he had caught a glance at while she stood above him but now he got a very good look at the scrap of material she wore under her hips. A scarlet thong with white frills co-ordinated with the bra she was currently-

_Sweet mother of…! Oh fuck, I want to touch her!_

His tongue swirled around trying to moisten his mouth as he watched her snap the clip on the front, shrugging it off her shoulders and letting it fall to his feet. She smiled wickedly and thrust her hips at him again.

"You like this huh?" she called out. "Am I doing well?"

She knew exactly how hard he was for her in that instant, his hand had slipped over his crotch and cupped it when she had dropped her bra.

"Yes!" he shouted. "I mean… You are a fantastic dancer."

She smiled and turned her back to him, shaking her hips from side to side. He saw the black ink design on the skin of her back. He needed a distraction; his pants were becoming very tight.

"I like your ink. Where'd you get that done?"

She turned to her head to face him again. "My tattoo?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I couldn't help but notice it. It's really nice. Very er, in depth."

_**You're asking about my tattoo while I'm giving you a strip-tease…? What are you… ahhh! Sneaky thing; you're looking for a distraction, aren't you? Ok, I'll play along for now.**_

"I designed it myself; took many hours to get it right." She called back with a swish of her hips.

"I can imagine, the details make it look so realistic. You're very talented Alexa." He said, watching her backside encased in a tiny scrap of fabric.

"Thanks, I take pride in my work. There isn't another one like it. It's one of a kind."

"_You're_ one of a kind Alexa. That's what I love about you." The words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.

_Fuck! I wasn't meant to say that!_

Rinoa raised her eyebrows behind her mask. She definitely hadn't missed what he said. She thought he'd say he was infatuated, highly attracted to her even, but saying he _loved_ her? Oh this had been far _too_ easy.

"You love me, do you?" she asked, slipping her thumbs into the sides of her G-string. His eyes looked up to her.

Did he love her? Had been so blinded by rage from Allison's indiscretion he'd forgotten what it was like? The racing in his heart, the catch in his breath… was it love? Was that how he felt about the stripper before him?

_**Perfect, he's confessed. Now the show really begins.**_

**Rinoa stop being such a bitch! You've had your fun, now just ask him to leave, do not go through with this!**

_**Quiet you, I have to do this or I won't be able to focus!**_

Catching him off guard she jumped from the stage and landed at his feet. He looked down at her as she stood before him. She waved her finger disapprovingly, indicating to his hands.

"Naughty boy Squall. You know that's not allowed in here."

He looked at his lap and then back to her. He was a bit frightened of what she was going to do next. Would she throw him out, or worse, call for her boss? That guy was looking for an excuse to ban him; this would probably just about do it.

"Well… you know the rules say that if a guy has an itch, he can't do anything about it in here. But Boss never said that us girls couldn't do it for them…" she whispered seductively and bent forward towards him.

He looked into her violet eyes through her mask. He finally knew their colour, warm and vibrant, a clash against his own clear blue.

"What do you say? Want me to help you out?" she asked with a purr in her voice.

His eyes got bigger. Surely she wasn't suggesting…? That _was_ against the rules! He'd read them enough times and remembered that one rule very clearly! He'd embedded it into his mind after the first night they met.

**Customers are strictly reminded that our employees are here to dance for your entertainment only, we are not a brothel so do not behave like you're in one or treat our girls like prostitutes.**

As painful as this was, there was no way he'd do that in here. Ok maybe a little grope if she didn't kick the shit out of him. But this was something entirely different to just grinding herself against him.

"N-no!" he stuttered. She looked at him through her white mask and put her hand midway up his thigh.

"No?" she asked slowly. "But I thought that's what you wanted, don't think I haven't noticed. You come in here all the time, you only look at me, you only request _me_, nobody else catches your eye. I know you want me; it is very obvious. I'm offering you what you're after."

_**This is too perfect. Fisher is probably wetting his pants in the office about now.**_

**Stop being so cruel Rinoa, he doesn't deserve this!**

His eyes looked nervously towards the cameras. If her boss was watching this… it was only a matter of time before he would burst into the room, gunning for his head.

"Can we talk about this? You said you didn't date clients, you told me to stay away-"

She reached out and grabbed his chin in her fingers.

"And yet you didn't stop coming in to see me, did you? Heh, you even spent a week trying to catch me outside, tell me right now that hasn't changed. You just admitted you loved me too. So go on. Say it."

"I-its not like I… I don't want to… Don't get me wrong, I think you're amazing…"

"But…?" she pressed, leaning in closer. "I know you like me, Mr Leonheart, so what is stopping you huh?"

Her hand trailed up his leg with her long fingers. She was leaning in so far that he could smell her scent. That Hyne alluring fragrance warped his senses. She was so close to kissing him, of her own free will! This had to mean something!

_Squall you fucking moron! Do __**not**__ take the bait; that's exactly what she wants you to do!_

"Please stop!" he half shouted-half begged as he clamped his eyes shut. "I can't do this!"

Rinoa smirked at him and stepped away. "What a relief. I was wondering how far you'd let me go before you told me to stop. Glad I didn't have to wait too long."

She giggled. His eyes snapped open in shock.

"Huh, wait, what?" he frowned. Then it hit him; she had been playing him the whole time. "You tricked me!?"

She smiled cruelly. "Maybe a little. Like a kitty cat, I'll play with my mouse before I bite off its head."

His face fell and a nasty sensation washed over him. He felt like such a fool.

"I cannot believe this!"

"Well believe it." She said with a sneer. "I warned you weeks ago that it wasn't gonna happen ever. Thanks for coming tonight though; it's been a lot of fun."

"Fun? You played me like a fucking harp!" he said angrily. She smiled back at his glare.

"Yeah, I did." She said without remorse. "And you know what? I enjoyed every minute of it. Best entertainment I've had in a long time. I should thank you."

He slumped back in his chair with his head down. He was speechless.

_This was not funny! The stupid, conniving, manipulative little bitch!_

"Don't get me wrong, you're a really sweet guy, but face it; you can do a hell of a lot better than someone like me. You deserve so much more."

Rinoa waved to the cameras on the wall. She was done, she'd had enough. Now all she needed was to get her boss to escort him out. She sauntered up the steps to the stage and prepared to walk through the curtains. She looked at his crestfallen face and felt a twinge in her chest.

"Mind doing me one last thing before you go Squall?"

**That is enough already! You've destroyed the guy Rinoa, aren't you satisfied yet?!**

His head jerked up. Was she for real?

"What the fuck? You already stripped me of my fucking dignity, do you want my blood? You just used me like a game piece and you want a fucking favour?!"

She kept her face outside the curtain as she listened to him. She sighed heavily.

"It's more advice than a favour. I want you to get the hell out of here and don't come back to this place ever again. Find yourself a nice girl, someone who will treat you right. Goodbye Squall."

And then the curtains fluttered shut, leaving him staring at the stage. He got to his feet as the mountain man walked through the door.

Fisher took one look at Squall's face and saw the devastation in his eyes. It was clear Rinoa had definitely done as she'd said; she'd shattered the poor lad into pieces. He wasn't going to make him feel any worse than he already was.

"C'mon boy, let's go." He said softly. Squall walked in silence towards the door and out of the room.

Behind the crimson material on the stage Rinoa slumped to the floor with tears streaming down her face.

It had hurt, _really_ hurt her to do that to him. He hadn't deserved it at all. But it was for the best; he did deserve better than her.

* * *

Authors Note II: Ok, ok I know I did a really bad thing! But it was all part of the plan I assure you! Like it? Hate it? Then tell me! Reviews are needed please!

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, gave myself a few good giggles… which may be a bad thing. Nobody laughs at their own jokes, and I never thought I was that funny before. Well not until I proof-read this anyway! I really shocked myself with the use of a certain word early on. I _never_ use that word in real life; ever! I am not saying which one it was, it is too crude to repeat.

Edited slightly when Ashbear suggested changing the name of Crotchety Chocobos to her idea of Disgruntled Chocobos which she used in The Meaning of Resistance. Thanks for that hun!

If you want to know where I am with updates and whatever I would like to suggest Facebook. I created a page so I can write about how my progress is coming along. Same name, my pic is a Yellow Chocobo I drew on paint when I was like 15 years old. Looks rubbish but I was so proud of myself!

**Chapter Eleven: Revelations:** Squall goes home after the drinking to erase the events at the club from his mind and relives the whole thing in his dreams. He spends a week avoiding everyone in fear that they knew what had happened. Seifer and Irvine recognise the signs he is displaying and make their moves to snap him out of it. While out at the pub with them, Squall has a moment of clarity as he realises that he wasn't as upset by the whole thing like he thought. He then gets a revelation as to why it didn't hurt, one that both surprises and scares him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note: **Well the way things are progressing I'll get to the good stuff well in time for the 21st! Yay, I am determined to post one of the already typed chapters before that date and maybe the teaser/major cliff hanger on my birthday itself. Oho things are looking up! I would like to thank Ashbear for taking a look at this story. You cannot imagine how big my smiles were to see your name in succession on my reviews list. From the bottom of my heart; I am very grateful!

Anyone wanna know how I see a fun, drunken Squall? Read on and you may be very surprised hehe!

**Last Chapter:**

Fisher took one look at Squall's face and saw the devastation in his eyes. It was clear Rinoa had definitely done as she'd said; she'd shattered the poor lad into pieces. He wasn't going to make him feel any worse than he already was.

"C'mon boy, let's go." He said softly. Squall walked in silence towards the door and out of the room.

Behind the crimson material on the stage Rinoa slumped to the floor with tears streaming down her face.

It had hurt, _really_ hurt her to do that to him. He hadn't deserved it at all. But it was for the best; he did deserve better than her.

**Chapter Eleven: Revelations**

It had to have been a dream; there was no way that what happened in Angels' was real.

Anger swept through Squall like the meaning of his name as he walked out through the main door of Angels'. He sped past the alleyway next to the building and heavily debated waiting there for Alexa to come out to confront her. Damn the consequences if he got caught, this was totally unfair!

How could she do that? How could she treat him so callously like that and say she was playing with him? And then to give him advice; warning him to stay away for good and to go and find someone else?

Yeah right! Like he would _ever_ trust another woman again after something like this. Besides his mother and sister, they were all the same; evil, twisted, manipulative bitches! Luring you in and then casting you aside like a used tissue… the very thought made the blood boil in his veins.

He thought for a brief second whether it was a good idea and decided against it. It was not worth getting his arse kicked in tonight. His ego did not need bruising even more, thank you very much!

He stomped up the streets, not caring that he'd blown 100 Gil on ten minutes of utter humiliation. It was only money, he'd get more off his parents tomorrow as usual; they sent him a monthly allowance which covered his bills plus some ridiculous amount weekly to spend on whatever he saw fit. If they knew he'd been blowing a chunk of it on trips to a strip club, well… his mother may not find it all that amusing.

His eyes latched onto the warming lights of the Wendigo pub after walking a few blocks from Angels'. A binge sounded so good now, drowning his sorrows into a pint of vodka would be just the medicine he needed to erase the whole spectacle from his mind.

* * *

Rinoa was still sitting behind the curtains when Fisher returned from escorting Squall out of the building. She'd taken off her mask and was wiping her silent tears away on the velveteen fabric. She felt like shit, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die right then and there. Of course she'd been awful to him; she had meant for it to happen that way, but once it was done she had been filled with regret.

"Rin? Are ye still 'ere?" Fisher's voice came from the other side of the stage. She heard his heavy footsteps approaching her position and didn't speak a work or move an inch.

He stepped behind the curtains and saw her state of disarray. "You ok?" he asked.

Rinoa didn't answer him; she stayed put fingering the eyes holes in her dancing mask. He saw the pain marred across her face and he felt so sorry for her.

_Ahhh Rin, ye did the right thing love. Hurts now but it'll get better._

He coughed uncomfortably. "I… I sent the boy on his way… ye coming out now? Still time before the next one comes in fer a dance…"

"I'm… I'm not sure I feel like it now Boss." Rinoa whispered. "Sorry but… can I go home please? I… I need some space right now…"

He understood her unspoken reasons and nodded.

"A'right then darlin'. Head on home an' I'll cancel the bookin'. Will ye want me te give ya the whole weekend off?"

Her head snapped up from her lap and she wiped her face, streaking her mascara across the sides of her eyes.

"No, I'll be back tomorrow night. A good night's sleep will sort me out. Thanks though, but I need the money."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. Always with the money, she never focussed on anything but paying her way through. He admired her for it but she didn't need to be like this. Her dad was a sound guy, if she knew that half her hourly wages each week came from him she'd never forgive either of them for deceiving her.

Only a few members of staff knew about it of course, it looked like favouritism in the beginning until he sat them down and explained that it was because of a favour he was doing on her father's behalf- she wasn't earning more than they are so don't worry. Selphie kept Rinoa away while the meeting took place, saying it was a recap of what she'd had for her trial for the long-standing members of staff. Rinoa had bought the excuse very easily.

She stood up from the floor, wearing only her panties, stockings and heels, not caring about Fisher seeing her so bare. He was used to it. She reached out for a towel sitting at the sides and held it to her aching heart.

"I'll see you later Boss…"

Her feet clacked on the hard wood floor as she walked through the back stage door towards the staff room. She didn't bother collecting her discarded clothing from the front of the stage; if Fisher was closing up the private room tonight then she'd get them tomorrow.

Once safely in the confines of the empty room, the sobs she'd fought back on the stage and behind the curtain rushed to the surface. She gasped out in strangled tones as the feelings within her erupted in bursts of tears and painful cries.

Why did it hurt so much, why? He was only a customer!

Her shaking hand reached for her belongings and she reached inside and pulled out her clothes. She slipped on her bra and threw on her t-shirt and her bike leathers over her stockings, removing her heels and shoving them into her locker. She slipped out her violet contacts and placed them into their container and put them on the top shelf. She replaced them with her glasses; her eyes needed a rest tonight.

She frowned at her reflection in the mirror before her. Her face was red and blotchy from her crying fit. She didn't need to feel like this; she'd done the right thing, so why had it hurt so much?

She felt so bad for Squall, he had been somewhat innocent and naïve and he'd believed her words before she cruelly knocked him lower and lower. She'd treated him like scum and all he'd done was try to get to know her in work. She'd spoken with him at home; he'd seemed like such a nice person, a bit cryptic perhaps but he had a good heart. She'd gone way too far to get him off her back; she'd never been this evil towards clients before; she'd made a hell of an effort to humiliate him.

Fiddling with a brush in one hand, she yanked the strands of colour out of her hair with the other. Once all the long extensions were free from her head, she pulled the bristles through her ebony tresses and twisted it all into a soft plait down her back. She dragged her boots from the bottom of her locker and shoved her feet inside and stood back up in front of the mirror.

She glared at the girl in the shiny surface; _she_ was the weak link in this equation. Alexa's persona had always been her stronger side; with her as a cover Rinoa brought out the worst in her behaviour and didn't care about the consequences, behind that mask she was a devious little temptress who set out to knock men down on their butts. She hated herself for it, but the real her was timid, vulnerable and honest. She had to perfect and project Alexa's strengths into her normal routine if she was going to survive university at this rate.

She exited the building down the steep, scary stairs and headed for her bike, forgetting about covering herself with her cloak. She didn't care if she was seen; right now she was gunning for a fight to get out the frustration building up inside her chest.

It was still early; perhaps she could go somewhere and get a much needed drink to calm her nerves. Of course she'd have to abandon her bike for the night when she found a local pub; she never drove while under the influence, even a legal half would affect her senses and make it dangerous for her to be on the road. She needed something much stronger than a beer; that much was certain.

* * *

"Same again lad?" the bartender asked the huffy young man sitting at the bar. Squall looked up from his empty glass, the ice cubes sitting inside slowly melting into the dregs of the clear alcoholic drink they'd sat in less than two minutes earlier.

"Yeah, but make it two doubles this time. In the same glass."

"No can do kid, we're not allowed to give you more than two measures in one glass. If you wanna do that then you do it yourself; away from the bar, ok?"

_I hate it when people call me 'kid', it really pisses me off! I am _not_ a fucking child!_

He sighed deeply. "Ok, fine."

The man looked at the brunette behind the bar table; he looked really depressed. Well he wouldn't find happiness at the bottom of a bottle if he moped about like this. He slid two glasses over the bar towards him. Squall chucked one down his throat straight away and reached for the second glass.

"Rough day huh?" the man commented.

Understatement of the century, Squall thought darkly. Not that he wanted to discuss it with anyone, much less a barman.

"You could say that." He downed his second shot in record timing. "Keep them coming."

The barman retrieved the three empty glasses on the bar and started the next round. He faced Squall again with the same order in his hands.

"You know drowning your sorrows isn't healthy right?" he asked.

"What do you care?" he muttered into his glass. "If it wasn't for guys like me being here, you wouldn't have a job to do. Mind keeping your opinions to yourself and let me enjoy this?"

"Keep talking like that and I'll have to kick you out." The man replied. It was partly true, but it was a publican's duty to make sure their clients didn't get too wasted. He handed another round over to him.

"Part of my job is to make sure none of our patrons end up with liver failure leaving this establishment. You're well on your way to that lad if you keep this up."

"Whatever."

Someone walked up behind Squall at the bar and the guy stopped whatever he was about to say to serve them.

"Yes love? What can I get you?"

"Double vodka and coke please." The person announced. Squall glanced up from his drink to see Rinoa standing to his left. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She hadn't expected to see him in here of all places; she'd seen it on her way home several times recently and had thought to come in for her pity drink. She now wished she hadn't the minute he turned around.

"Ohhh. H-hey." She said nervously. He looked back to his glass with a grunt.

She could see the pain etched in his face. The barman handed her drink over. "Five Gil my dear."

She threw a twenty across the bar and beckoned the man over. "Take the cost for his next lot of drinks too and keep the rest for yourself." she half whispered. His eyes swivelled between her and his other customer.

"You sure miss? His drinks cost 12 Gil." He warned. She nodded back at him.

"Yeah that's fine, just ring it through."

She felt like she owed him that much, he'd spent a lot of money tonight just to get embarrassed, it'd make her feel slightly better if she bought him a round. She walked past Squall's position at the bar in search of somewhere to sit down.

Squall saw another set of drinks placed in front of him. He looked up at the barman.

"I didn't ask for another round yet." He protested.

"Compliments of the lady." The barman pointed in Rinoa's retreating direction.

He rose from his seat and he started after her.

"Hey!" he called out. She spun round; her drink swirled in her glass and almost spilled over the rim. She was surprised to see him standing there. Maybe he was going to thank her for getting him another round?

"Yes?" she asked. He gave her a dark look.

"What are you playing at? I can pay for my own damn drinks thanks." He said bitterly.

_**Ok he's still pissed off. **_

"Sorry… I didn't mean to offend you." She said with a stutter. "I just… I thought…"

"Don't think; just leave me alone will you?" he scowled. His attention turned to the barman. "Hey you. Give her back the money for my drinks will you?"

Rinoa put her hand up to protest. "No, no it's ok." She turned to Squall. "Just let me get this one for you ok? I want to do this."

"Whatever, it's your money, waste it on what you want." He muttered and stalked back to his chair.

She sighed deeply and walked away with her drink in hand to find a seat outside the building. There were still a few good tables free so she commandeered one and lit up a cigarette. She knuckled her forehead and took a deep drag as a throbbing pain hit both her head and her heart simultaneously.

_**That ungrateful ass! So… you still think that going for a drink was a good idea huh Rinoa? You left work to get away from the situation and walked back into it at the bar!**_

**Oh shut up! How was she to know he'd be in there? Besides, don't you feel sorry for him at all?**

She argued with herself a lot nowadays, always two conflicting sides trying to dominate. She frowned as the thoughts took over her.

_**No way, we did the right thing; he was getting too close. You know as well as I do that the risk to our dignity is too high to make a mistake!**_

**What about **_**his**_** dignity huh? Did you not **_**see**_** the look on his face in there?! He is devastated! And it wasn't 'we' who did it, it was you!**

_**A minor technicality, you are part of this too Heart, so quit nit-picking. So what if he is devastated? Remember, we do not have room to date; dating gets in the way and distracts us from our goals.**_

**My goals died when Mom did, you took over everything that made us normal and made this doctor thing an obsession. You repress everything hurtful down into me so you don't need to think about it. But I do and it is not nice! I'd like to feel like I had a choice in what we do with our life but you never listen to me.**

_**Because you are weak, that is why I never listen! The world is a cold, calculating and cruel place; feelings do not have dominance here. Do not bring Mom into this discussion; she died a long time ago and you need to accept that. I am the only thing keeping us together because you keep living in the past.**_

**The past was a much happier time for us if you recall it correctly. I am far from weak, without me you wouldn't be able to function. You need me as much as I need you; if I were to give up right now, you'd be nothing. Remember that next time you decide to argue with me.**

_**Don't threaten me. It is because of you that Rinoa feels this way right now. The guy is nothing special, give him a chance and he'll tear you to shreds. I know his type, they're all the same. Scum, on a never ending mission to get into our knickers.**_

**No, you're thinking of the customers, not him. He wanted to get to know us remember?**

_**He **_**was**_** a customer, are you blind?!**_

**Considering I am not connected to the eyes like you then yes, as a matter of fact. I only know what's going on through feelings, feelings **_**you**_** send me by the way. I know exactly how you think, you send it all my way and I emphasize it. I like this feeling of attraction by the way; it is peaceful.**

_**Oh shut up you, peace will come when I say it does. And that time will not happen until graduation when we finally can start our life in…. Oh look, he's coming our way. Still angry I presume. Hah! The way I'm feeling right now, I would welcome another confrontation.**_

* * *

Squall walked out of the building in a worse mood. In his hand he had one remaining drink. That round Rinoa had purchased had been slung down his neck and after ordering another round couple; the bartender had refused to serve him again after those. His blood boiled again and aggression rose up in his chest.

_Stupid prat, saying I've had enough to drink! I'm not even catching a buzz off the damn stuff!_

He spotted her at the other side of the outdoor smoking area, crouched over her half-drunk beverage. Her face was contorted in a wince, like she was in pain as she sucked the life out of the cigarette dangling between her lips. He stepped towards her, his anger ebbing away as he passed the other patrons sitting around him.

She looked troubled and even looked shocked as he approached her. He saw her eyes dart from side to side as she debated getting up to leave. She stubbed out her cigarette quickly and pulled up the zip on her jacket. He put his hand up to stop her as she started to get up from her chair.

"Sit back down. Don't worry; I won't bite your head off." He said, hopefully to assure her.

_**How ironic, I used that phrase earlier in a different context.**_

**Shut up, don't be so proud of yourself, it was spiteful! I'm ashamed of you!**

_**Get over yourself. Let's see what he's gonna say.**_

She slowly parked herself back down and he took up the seat opposite her. She reached into her pockets for another cigarette.

"Having a bad night too?" he asked as she lit it up. She blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Something like that yeah, how'd you guess?" she asked. Did it really show on her face that much, how bothered she was?

"Kindred feelings I suppose. Sorry I snapped before, my night's been hell on earth." He admitted.

**Yes and we know who is to blame for that, don't we?**

_**Hush! Why the hell are you encouraging this anyway? We need to get out of here, not sit around for him to find us out! Idiot!**_

"I know. You don't need to tell me that," Rinoa replied, taking a big gulp of her drink. He looked at her in a funny way, as if he wanted to know how she knew that. "It's written all over your face Squall. That and the way you spoke to me inside, it is obvious someone or something has rattled your cage."

"You're good at reading people, I will give you that."

"You're not the first to say that. Would I be correct in guessing it's to do with a girl?" Rinoa asked, knowing full well what the score was. His face dropped; how the hell did she know what it was straight away?

"Looks like I hit the mark. You ok?" she asked, wondering if he was willing to enter a tirade about her alter-ego's behaviour earlier.

_**Fucking hell! You are stepping into the proverbial frying pan! Don't incense him you twit!**_

"Don't expect me to talk about it; I just wanted to see a friendly face." He grumbled, fidgeting with his own cigarettes. "What's eating you then? Care to share?"

Like she would tell him the whole truth, he'd probably have a fit! She waved her hand dismissively and reached for her drink. It was pretty much watered down now, she'd left it sitting out in the warm summer night too long and the ice cubes had dissolved completely.

"Not really, just having a really bad week. You know, life in general getting on top of everything." She took another sip of her drink. He looked at the dark liquid in the glass and wrinkled his nose.

"Should you be drinking so soon after a head injury?" he asked her mid-gulp.

She did a spit-take, spluttering her drink over the table. She coughed loudly and composed herself.

"No offense; but I hardly think it's any of your business Squall." She said haughtily. "It is one drink, not ten. Speaking of which; you seem more than a bit tipsy, exactly how many have _you_ had? I counted four doubles at the bar including the ones I paid for. How many were before that?"

He rolled his eyes at her and took a deep drag. It was none of her business or anyone else's how much he'd had to drink!

"Like I'd tell you the number. I'm an adult after all, I know my limits. I know when to stop myself and I don't need you butting in."

_Yeah right! You were refused for the next lot, you didn't stop yourself; the barman did! You need to leave now before you get into another argument!_

Rinoa stood up and drained her glass. "Excuse me but I need to head off before all the students start coming in here. Last thing I need is to get crowded and have to fight my way out." She started walking away from the table and shouted over her shoulder. "Try not to get too drunk tonight; whoever she is, she isn't worth killing yourself over."

Squall looked at her as she walked away and took a drag on his cigarette.

"She isn't huh…?" he said as he released the toxic fumes through his nose.

His hand reached for the remaining glass he had brought out with him and hesitated to take a sip when the rim touched his lips.

* * *

"Stupid stupid stupid! Why'd I have to say that to him?" Rinoa scolded herself as she walked down the street from the pub. "Of all of the idiotic… 'She's not worth it'? My Hyne, way to put yourself down like that Rinoa!"

_**But it's true, we did do a number on his ego remember?**_

**Shut up, stop reminding her about it!**

She stalked towards a few drunks hanging around one of the darker roads. They wolf-whistled and cat-called at her leather clad figure as she walked past them. She rolled her eyes. Weekends always brought out the worst kinds of scum to the streets.

She kept moving; she really could do without _that_ kind of attention tonight. As she turned the corner of the road, out of the corner of her right eye she became very aware of one splitting off from the group. He started following her.

_**Great, just what I need right now, tonight of all nights.**_

"Hey sweetness, where ya going?" he drawled behind her. "Come with me and I'll show ya a good time, what do ya say?"

"No thanks, I have a better place to be." She called over her shoulder.

"Awww c'mon baby, don't leave me hangin' now! I got something I reckon you'll like."

_**Yeah right! Like I'd be interested in what you wanna show me!**_

"Sorry, not interested." She said firmly and crossed the road. "I'd go home if I were you and sleep it off."

She picked up her feet and walked a bit faster. His footsteps behind her also sped up. She thought to herself as he closed in on her proximity how she could get rid of him without kicking his arse. He grabbed middle of her plait roughly in his hand and yanked her towards him. She flinched at the pain running through her skull and stopped in her tracks. He _really_ shouldn't have done that!

He pulled her into his chest by her hair, her body still facing forward.

_**Ok, this guy is gonna get it!**_

Slowly she prepared to raise her fist as she turned to face the creep behind her, and was greeted with a slap to her cheek. She blinked in shock as her face swung to the side from the impact. Anger coursed through her and she turned to look at him once more, a dark expression evident on her face.

"Look missy, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which is it gonna be?"

* * *

Squall was not tipsy, the alcohol had him feeling very light headed but that was about it. He'd eventually swallowed down the final shot and decided to head off home. The pub had started picking up business and it had been difficult to get out through the throngs of customers.

He stumbled up the roads, working his way from the pub towards home. The fresh air hit him as he staggered along the pavement, making him feel even drunker. His head spun round and round, making him feel like throwing up on the road beside him.

He passed by three heavily drunken males hanging further up the road. They were cackling away, holding onto each other for support. Squall envied them; not because they were drunk but that they had each other to be drunk with. Yeah he could have called Irvine and Seifer to invite them to join him but he'd wanted to be left alone.

The streetlights were half on and half off up the road, making it difficult to see where the pavement started and the road began. He steered towards the buildings to his right instead, it seemed the most sensible option to walk alongside them; if being sensible comes to mind when one is intoxicated anyway!

He heard a loud scream coming from nearby and decided to investigate. He turned a corner and saw a man on the left side of the road, lying on the floor groaning in agony under a flickering street lamp.

Squall felt a small fragment of pity for the guy, he looked very worse for wear lying face down in the gutter. In the distance he saw a dark figure running away, already halfway up the street.

"You fucking bitch!" the drunk screamed as he rolled onto his back clutching his face. "I'll get you for this!"

_Women trouble huh? Seems I'm not the only one having that problem tonight._

In the dim light Squall could make out that the guy had a broken nose; a fountain of fresh blood gushed through his fingers as he screamed into the night. Yikes, he must have pissed off his girlfriend and she showed him what for! Squall moved away quickly, like he hadn't seen anything.

He crossed the road when he reached the top end and turned left. He saw the hall light on in the house from the corner of Dollet Road and walked over towards it, flicking his keys out from his jeans pocket.

Rinoa's bike wasn't outside when he got nearer so he figured she wasn't home yet, though he thought her pretty stupid to have driven the monster with a double dose of vodka in her system. Not that it was his problem if she crashed it or whatever. It was a beast of a machine and Hyne only knew why she chose to drive something so dangerous in the first place. It'd be her own fault for getting on the damn thing and crashing it if she'd been drinking.

He stuck his key in the lock and opened the door to let himself in. He was greeted by the site of Rinoa with her back to him, removing her boots from her feet. He closed the door and attempted to slip past her on the stairs. Unfortunately for him, she had blocked his entry, supporting her left foot on the bottom step as she unzipped the tight leather of her shoe.

"Can I get through? Your fat ass is blocking the stairs, it's a fire hazard you kno-" he stopped in his tracks. She'd turned to face him and he noticed a very dark red mark on her left cheekbone.

"I'm not in the mood for an argument, but you are really testing my patience. Shut your fucking mouth before I do it myself!" She said fiercely, her right cheek flaming with colour to match its partner.

She picked up her shoes and walked up the stairs in silence, leaving him standing there gaping like a fish out of water. He heard her slam her bedroom door about forty seconds later.

He was stunned; it had been what, 20 or so minutes since she walked out of the pub. How had she gotten that mark on her face? Unless she was tee-total and that drink of hers had affected her walking skills and she'd fallen over her feet, then what else… _who_ else could have done it?

He climbed the stairs to his room with his head spinning faster and faster. A lurch under his ribs had him speeding as fast as he could to the bathroom.

"Oh Hyne!" his hand covered his mouth as his stupid binge session decided to make an appearance. He threw open the door and his face was straight in the porcelain bowl within seconds.

When he was done puking he hugged the fixture tightly and slowly lowered the seat down, reaching for the handle to flush the evidence down the drain. His head was heavy and his vision was blurry. He felt so… so tired. Slowly but surely, his eyelids dropped and he fell asleep still crouching over the toilet.

* * *

Rinoa slammed her door shut and stomped over to her mirror and sat on her desk chair, removing her glasses so she could examine the new damage to her face. The hand mark was very bright from the impact of his palm and blotchy between the lines of his fingers, she could even see the beginnings of a bruise forming under her left eye.

Oh he had hit her well; she had to admit he had been a very difficult guy to get free of. She'd hurt her right wrist in an attempt to strike him after the initial slap but he had caught her and twisted it sideways. He had forgotten her left hand was free, as were her legs. She had booted him in the crotch and smashed into his face with her free hand before running off up the road. Her heart was up in her throat as she'd heard him screaming at her retreating figure that he would get revenge. Well she would gladly welcome it if she ever ran into him again.

Her customers had been a lot less hassle, if they ignored her when she told them to cut it out, it only took one swift kick or slap and they stopped immediately. But this was different from work; out here in the open she had no Fisher to protect her. She was a lot safer in work or out at Loveless; there were plenty of people around to keep her out of danger.

She was fortunate to know what to do when guys behaved like this in public view, it happened to her so many times but every incident left her heart racing with fear. Would it happen again? Most definitely, she always attracted the worst guys to her like a moth to a flame. And of course they all got burned by her fire.

Her eyelids drooped lower and lower and she fought hard not to sleep just yet. She badly wanted a shower, to wash the icky off her skin. But that would have to wait til tomorrow now; her body was wracked with aches and her bed called for her.

She was physically exhausted and mentally frustrated from the events of the day. Her face stung where that prick had hit her; she was lucky he didn't break the skin with the force, otherwise she'd have another scar.

She hit the pillow straight away, not bothering to take off all of her clothes. Her jacket was tossed aside onto the floor and her boots had been dropped when she sat down. She closed her eyes and tried to dream…

* * *

2:34 am, four hours later.

Squall's eyes cracked open and he tried to sit up straight. His neck ached something chronic. Yeah he could have climbed back up the stairs when he felt his eyes closing on him but he had been so damned tired he'd given into what he has hoped were sweet dreams.

Instead he replayed the night with Alexa in his mind. He saw her dancing and taking off her clothes. He heard himself admitting that he loved her, saying she was one of a kind.

She'd sounded so flattered by his unintended admission.

_"You love me, do you?"_

He hadn't been sure why he had said it, perhaps he had been serious but the timing had been all wrong, possibly a premature declaration. But he'd said the 'l word' for the first time in months. She'd come down to his level and offered to get him off, to both his delight and massive surge of fear.

_"Well… you know the rules say that if a guy has an itch, he can't do anything about it in here. But Boss never said that us girls couldn't do it for them… What do you say? Want me to help you out?"_

The words had rolled off her tongue and the thought had crossed his mind as to how she'd have gone along with it. Like an idiot he'd been too afraid to let her do it because it'd be breaking the rules. She'd pressed the issue when he had protested her advances.

"_Heh, you even spent a week trying to catch me outside, tell me right now that hasn't changed. You just admitted you loved me too. So go on. Say it."_

He remembered the feel of her hand travelling up his legs as she leaned in, her purple eyes sparkling with what he'd thought was desire…

_"I know you like me, Mr Leonheart, so what is stopping you huh?"_

Something hadn't been right about the whole thing, he fought once more, as painful as it had been to stop her. In a way he was almost glad now because then she'd turned on him like a rabid dog!

"_I was wondering how far you'd let me go before you told me to stop. Glad I didn't have to wait too long."_

A shiver ran up his spine as her tone suddenly changed and he saw her face sneering at him through her white mask.

"_Like a kitty cat, I'll play with my mouse before I bite off its head."_

Those words cut through him like a knife. It had been a game she was playing and he had fallen for it hook, line and sinker!

_"Yeah, I did. And you know what? I enjoyed every minute of it. Best entertainment I've had in a long time. I should thank you."_

The bitch. The nasty feeling in his chest built up further and further. What the hell had he seen in her?!

He staggered to his feet, using the toilet for balance, his legs tinging with pins and needles from him sleeping on his knees. His whole body was sore, screaming for the softness of his mattress upstairs. His legs gave way as he stepped from the room, the pain from the numbness carrying all the way up to his hips. His face hit the wooden floor with a thump.

"Fucking shit!" he yelled out in pain and tried lifting himself on his arms. He heard several thudding sounds and clicks of doors being opened around him. His face looked up at the dark figures surrounding him.

"What the fuck Puberty Boy, it's nearly three in the morning!" Seifer yelled from his door.

"Yeah, keep the damn noise down man, people are trying to sleep!" Irvine added with a nasty tone in his voice.

"Hyne! Do you have a death wish or something Squall!" Zell huffed in frustration. "If you can't see in the dark, turn the damn light on so you don't fall over and wake everyone up, you fricking idiot!"

Just what he needed right now, everyone pissed off at him. Great, just great!

"Sorry guys," he said as he rubbed his forehead. "It won't happen again."

"It better not Squall, next time I'll kick your ass." Irvine said as he shut his door.

"And me." Zell followed suit and went back to his own room.

Squall faced the shadow which was Seifer in the dark. "You gonna threaten me too huh? C'mon, do your worst."

"Not right now my friend, I'll deal with you in the morning." He said with a sigh. "When the sun is up." he added for clarification before closing his own bedroom door.

The tingles in his legs subsided and he felt able to move towards the last set of stairs. He used the banister to inch his way up to the attic space. He sure as hell wouldn't be coming back out for a long time; he wasn't strong enough to hold himself together again for the second time this year.

* * *

"Fucking shit!"

Rinoa sat up with a start at the scream coming from the floor below. Her tired eyes blinked in the darkness as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. The LED display on her alarm said 2:43am. Perfect.

She had found her own sleep restless, tossing and turning for several hours before she'd eventually drifted off into REM. It hadn't lasted very long; the yelling she heard head her wide awake again and she was now very grumpy.

Tiredness and frustration about her behaviour earlier washed over her. She fumbled in the dark for her cigarettes, she definitely needed one now. She clicked the light on at her bedside and pulled her ashtray closer across the table.

She had just lit the cigarette as she heard a soft tip tapping coming up the stairs and realised it was Squall. How strange for him to be coming up to bed this late; she'd left him at the bottom of the stairs hours ago!

His bedroom door clicked shut and her thoughts swayed to the look on his face back at work. More tears formed in her brown eyes and she blinked them away furiously. Two stray drops of salty liquid tricked down from the corners of her eyes and fell onto her extended arm as she tapped the cherry on her cigarette. A massive sigh escaped her lips and soon turned into sobs as she gave up holding it all back in for the second time.

* * *

**4:25pm 24****th**** September**

Little more than week passed in the household and Squall had been true to his word; he'd avoided coming out unless he was certain nobody else was home for food and bathroom trips only. He had survived on the 200 fags that arrived on Monday, sent from his sister Ellone from her holiday to Trabia. He'd been grateful to get a small care package, even if it had just been filled with nicotine.

He'd heard Rinoa coming in and out of her room all day, anytime from nine am to three the following morning. Her late night job could have better hours surely? He hadn't dared to ask her about the hand mark on her face; something told him she wasn't prepared to discuss the history of it all.

He wasn't brave enough to come out; everyone would see it on his face and quiz him endlessly to figure out what was going on. Paranoia struck him hard; maybe they already knew what had happened and were avoiding him because he'd been so pathetic.

They went to the club the following night for the first time since his birthday. He had been asked to join them but he'd told them in no uncertain terms to get lost. Well, not that eloquently! The words 'fuck' and 'off' had come out of his mouth a few times from his side of the door while they tried to coax him out. He wanted to be left alone! He even locked his door so they couldn't break in to confront him.

Whether Alexa had seen or spoken to them that night remained a mystery but it was highly probable. Seifer obviously knew her better than he let on; perhaps she has chatted with him about how she ripped his heart from his best friend's chest and stomped on it like a bug.

He'd remained in his room in silence, and it got to Thursday before Seifer and Irvine clocked onto what was happening. Of course they didn't know what or who, but they certainly recognised the signs of a broken man.

Seifer and Irvine had tried knocking on his door but all they heard were loud, angsty, dark tunes playing from his computer speaker on repeat. That confirmed their suspicions; he hadn't played this kind of music in months. He was clamming up again and it was almost as bad as the first time.

They'd waited a few more days, to see if he came out of it on his own and were met with disappointment. Looks like they had to intervene. Again.

"We need to snap him out of it, this can't continue on forever." Seifer said as they walked up the stairs to the attic space. Irvine nodded in agreement.

"I know man, though I can't imagine what happened to put him back in this place. I thought he was better!"

"Or maybe he was pulling the wool over our eyes, trying not to let on that it still bothered him. He's been holed up for almost a week now." Seifer commented as they reached his door.

The sound of the Rascal Flatts' melancholic song Squall had playing reached their ears.

"_What hurts the most, was being so close"_

"Aw crap, not this one _again_! How many times do you think he's played it over and over?" Irvine groaned. Seifer shrugged in annoyance.

"Like hell should I know? Even once is too many times to play it by choice!" he exclaimed as he rapped on the door. "We should be thankful he's not playing the ones sung by girls yet."

"Oh Hyne yeah! Those were the worst days!"

On the other side of the door, Squall was lying on his bed facing the wall in the foetal position. He heard the knocking on his door and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Go away!" he called out. "I wanna be left alone, ok?"

"C'mon Squall, you gotta leave that room sometime! Man, I can smell you from out here, when was the last time you had a shower?"

Ok that was a bit mean of Seifer to say. Of course he'd kept himself clean; he just chose to wait til they'd all gone out before heading for the bathroom.

He rolled over on the bed and stalked over to the door. Leaning next to the light switch he shouted over the music he was playing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do you want guys? I'm not up for the speech about wasting my life away, alright? So if that's what you're here then you're wasting your time."

The song started playing again on repeat. From outside his room he heard Seifer and Irvine groan loudly. A small grin formed on his lips.

"Fucking hell Squall!" Irvine shouted in exasperation. "Cut it out!"

"Seriously man, turn that shit off!" Seifer yelled out. "It's getting very boring!"

"No way, I like it. You don't hear me complaining about your music preferences so what makes you think you can slate mine?" he called back childishly.

"We have every right to when it's all we hear you play, day in and day out! Dammit Squall, do we have to break in there and snap the damn CD on you?" Seifer threatened through the hard wood. Squall chuckled at the intimidation.

_Have fun doing that when it's an MP3 download you arrogant prick. I wonder what else I've got on here that'll piss you off…_

He strode across the room and clicked the mouse on his computer. The music stopped and he heard the over-exaggerated sighs of relief from outside his room.

"Finally!" Seifer announced with applause.

"Thank you Hyne!" Irvine said in gratitude. "It's over!"

Squall smirked, feeling marginally better than he was moments ago. He enjoyed winding them up as much as they did to him. His fingers scrolled the mouse over another track and clicked on it.

_Heh, this'll teach them to interfere._

Another bout of music began to play and he could swear he heard them face-palm and sweat drop outside his room. A cute, robotic type voice began singing a bouncy melody.

"_Stop that time for me and my lover, so we are together forever in love, can you stop that time for me and my lover; make this summer foreeever."_

"Oh hell no! Not that shit either!" Seifer yelled in anger. "That's it Puberty Boy, we're breaking the door down!"

Squall couldn't control his laughs as his door was bashed against repeatedly. He thought about the damage they were causing and walked over to unlock the door. He almost had a flying fist in his face when he opened it to their surprise.

"You guys are too much!" he said with a snigger in his voice. "Ok I give; what do you want?"

Seifer stormed into the room and disconnected the surround system speakers quickly; shutting off the volume the NightCore song was blasting out at.

"Thank fuck for that; we need to sort out your music library at some point Squall! What other kinds of shit do you have on this thing?"

"More than you think." Squall smiled at his blonde friend.

"You…uh… feeling any better man?" Irvine asked cautiously as he stepped into the room. The air was thick and musty from all the cigarettes and lack of fresh air; he noted the over-filled ashtray next to the bed. Oh boy, it must have been bad for him to smoke that much in a week!

Was he? Squall pondered the question for a moment. "Yeah, I think so."

"Wanna tell us why you had a relapse? I thought you said you were ready to get back into the game?" Irvine said as he opened the window over Squall's bed. The cool breeze circulated the room, making it less stuffy and more bearable to be inside.

He wasn't about to admit that it was because he'd spent a lot of time at Angels' and tried getting with the dancer from his birthday. They'd tear him apart over his stupidity.

"I am ready. It was just a… moment of weakness." He admitted lamely. Seifer gave him a hard 'I don't believe that for a second' look.

"A moment of weakness… that lasted an entire week and made you skip classes? Seriously, a friggin' _moment_?" Seifer uttered in in disbelief.

Squall shrugged in reply. "That's what I'm calling it."

"Well I hope you got over it, we're taking you out tonight." He said firmly. There was a 'you're not getting out of this one' tone in his voice

"No strip clubs this time Seifer. I mean it." Squall said darkly. "Last time didn't work out too well if you remember."

"Ok, ok, no Angels'." Seifer agreed reluctantly. An idea popped into Irvine's head.

"How about we got to Loveless instead? We're sure to find you a girl in there." He offered.

Loveless. Translation; music, dancing, scantily clad girls and a lot of alcohol. It was too close in likeness to Angels' for him to cope with right now.

"No chance, I'm not in the mood for going out 'on the pull'. Can't we just have a few drinks at the Wendigo instead, like we used to?"

"Dude, the Wendigo is having a karaoke night today! You really wanna go in there? They will make us sign up to take part you know?" Irvine put in.

"Karaoke huh?" Squall said thoughtfully. "Hmmm, that's not a bad idea…." He could request a recent favourite he'd heard on the Deling City 96.7 and belt it out across the bar.

Seifer's emerald eyes shot open in shock. Was he actually considering taking part in a karaoke night? Something was not right with the guy.

"Squall we're not going there, no way! Irvine what other pubs can we get into?"

"Hang on Seifer," Squall put his hand up to stop him. "You want me to come out tonight, right?"

"Yes…" he replied slowly, not liking where he was going with this.

"Then I want to go to the karaoke night at the Wendigo. I won't go anywhere else."

Realising his friend was very serious Seifer cursed. "Fuck! Well there is no way in hell that I'm singing Squall. Irvine are you with me on this?"

Irvine nodded aggressively. "Too right, you won't have us up there making arses of ourselves. You wanna go there; you're on your own if you decide to get on stage and sing."

Satisfied with the terms set before him, Squall smiled in triumph. "Fair enough. When do we leave?"

* * *

**7:50pm**

Three hours later they had left the house and were on their way to the Wendigo in high spirits. He was positioned between them with his arms around their necks and theirs around his as they walked up the road. Squall seemed a lot more relaxed being out with them again after so long. Attending Angels' in secret had him feeling lonely at times, a necessary evil of course to preserve his dignity.

As he had desired to earlier, Squall put his name down on the karaoke list the minute he got into the pub, while Seifer and Irvine hit the bar. He ran his finger down the long list of names to figure out how long he'd have to wait before he could get up on the microphone. It looked like it'd take a few hours; this event was quite popular!

Over the next few hours and several beers each, they laughed and joked with each other about anything and everything they could think of. They even sniggered together at some of the wannabe pop stars up on the mini stage set up in the left corner of the pub.

"Yikes, could do with some singing lessons this lot." Irvine hooted at a group of boys badly attempting an Nsync cover.

"I agree with you there, they suuck!" Squall said before taking a swig of his bottle of beer.

"Hey Puberty Boy, don't forget they could be laughing at _you_ when it's your turn up there." Seifer put in as he stubbed out his Embassy into the ashtray.

Squall looked at Seifer with glazed over eyes. "I don't care… let 'em! I'm gonna… I'm gonna sing and they'll think… that I'm awesome ok?"

Yeah, he was getting drunk off of just beer. He'd caught a buzz pretty quickly, but that may have had something to do with the lack of food in his stomach. Either that or it was relaxing in the company of his best friends. He chose the less cynical option. Of course it was because Seifer and Irvine were with him. It had been too long since they'd hung out like this, seemed like his birthday was years ago instead of four weeks.

Seifer smirked at Irvine who gave a grin in return. The old Squall was very nearly back in action! In their eyes, it was a matter of time before he got back to normal.

A member of staff walked on the stage as the Nsync cover band were leaving. He spoke into the microphone getting everyone's attention.

"Thanks for a wonderful show guys. Alright patrons, we've had lots of entertainment tonight and next up we have a group of girls called the Starlets, followed by a Mr Leonheart performing but we'll be taking a short break first. Take advantage of this time to refresh your beverages. We'll see you all in twenty minutes."

"Yay I'm next! And it's my round!" Squall announced happily and staggered to his feet. Seifer grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"Seifer, what the… what the hell man? I was going up for more drinks..." he said irritably.

"I'll go get them, bro you can hardly stand up and they won't serve you like this. We should have fed you before we came out. Hand over the money and I'll bring back the drinks, ok?"

Squall handed him his whole wallet. "Same again then Seifer. Don't take too long!"

"Not sure you're even fit to start singing now huh?" Irvine chuckled as Seifer walked from the table towards the bar.

"Shappad!" Squall said in jest. "I told you I'm gonna sing; so I'm gonna sing Irvine."

"Should be fun when you can hardly string a coherent sentence together." he replied.

"What…ever." Squall necked the remains of his drink and stared up at the stage. The patrons surrounding them all cheered encouragingly at the retreating group on the stage.

Seifer returned with three bottles in his hands and set them down on the table. he pulled Squall's wallet from his pocket and chucked it over to his friend.

"I must say, it has been a long time since I saw you this chilled out. I am glad that other guy is dead and buried now." He said sitting down next to Squall who reached for his full beer.

"Yeah, it's good to see your spirits are up again man, glad to have you back." Irvine said, thumping Squall on his back.

"Spirits? Ir-Irvine we're drinking beer you dumbass." He slurred into his new bottle. Seifer sniggered uncontrollably and Irvine snorted in unison. Oh how fun a drunk Squall could be; they'd almost forgotten what he was like with a few drinks under his belt.

* * *

"C'mon Rin, it's not that bad! Boss wasn't mad at you or anything!" Kat said to her smaller friend as they walked up the road towards the pub.

"Oh yeah, did you _see_ the look in his face when the cops showed up?! I'll be getting it in the ear tomorrow I can just see it now!" Rinoa scowled.

"Worry about it tomorrow then, we've got the rest of the night off. Together for once!" Selphie said happily.

Some dipshit customer had called the police when things had gotten out of hand. The stupid man had tried it on with Rinoa and she'd thrown him out herself face first, despite being told to let the bouncers handle it, and he'd fallen against a nearby trashcan near the front entrance. He'd hit his head on the hard surface.

And then he'd called the police saying he'd been assaulted, so they'd come to investigate. After a lot of questioning the staff and customers about the incident and viewing of the security tapes, they'd told Fisher to close down for the rest of the night while they looked at the evidence. Fisher had been angry of course having to send all his girls home because of it.

"Yeah Rin, chill out and worry later." Kat said softly. "C'mon lets go have a drink… OOOH! Check it out: karaoke night! Let's sign up!" she exclaimed excitedly pulling on Rinoa's arm.

"Woo hoo! I know what I'm gonna sing already!" Selphie cried out and ran inside. Rinoa smacked her forehead and followed them through the wide open doors.

"Do we have to? I'm not in the mood to make a spectacle of myself twice in one night thank you." She grunted as she pushed her way past the throngs of customers.

"C'mon it'll be fun." Kat told her with a wagging finger as she reached the bar. "How often will we get this chance again?"

"Yeah!" Selphie agreed. "You're still a teenager Rinny; why don't you act like one for a change?"

Rinoa leaned over the long wooden surface. "Ok, ok. Let's get a drink first."

The member of staff at the bar turned towards them with a smile. "Hello ladies, are you gonna try your hand at the karaoke? We've got some space left if you're interested?" she waved the sign-up sheet at them. Selphie snatched it out of her hand and started scribbling in their names. "The karaoke will resume in about five minutes, the guy is taking a break right now."

"I'm gonna put us all down for a group song!" Selphie said with enthusiasm. Rinoa put her hand up.

"Wait a second, I am not singing anything you choose; I'd rather do it myself, if it's all the same to you."

"Tch! Spoilsport. Ok I've put you down for a solo, any idea what song you wanna do?" Selphie scratched Rinoa's name from the group and wrote it singly underneath. "I wanna sing Tick Tock if they have it."

"I'll have a word with the operating table; see what they have on file." Kat offered. "Order me a Martini, I'll be back in a few minutes."

The red haired girl sauntered through the crowds in the direction of the karaoke system leaving Rinoa and Selphie to order the drinks.

* * *

Squall stood from his chair and walked to the karaoke system.

"I'm up next, what songs do you have on this thing?" he asked peering at the long list draped over the table. The person behind it pushed forward a large file over to him.

"Pretty much everything from the 70's onwards." He said as Squall flicked through the pages. "Are there any particular genres that take your fancy?"

His finger slid down the list of recent tunes. He smiled and pointed at his choice. "This one."

The man scrolled down his music list on the electronic system and tapped in a few numbers. "Alright, it's all set for you. Head on up to the side to the stage, I'll be right up there to announce you when I finish my drink."

"Damn there's no tables left!" Selphie grumbled as she walked round the filled tables. "We'll have to stand up all night won't we?"

Rinoa plodded behind her carrying hers and Kat's drinks. "Let's just find Kat first and then we'll hang out near the wall until our turn. I'm only staying for one song then I'm heading off home."

"Selphie? Is that you?" a deep voice came from a table they'd passed. They turned to see Irvine and Seifer on a large table with spare seats. The cogs in Selphie's mind began turning; Rinoa saw the light go on behind her green eyes.

_**Wonderful, like I really needed to see those two again. Can't I go anywhere without bumping into customers!?**_

"Heeey! Fancy running into you here!" she said, walking over to them. Inwardly Rinoa groaned, she knew what Selphie was about to do.

"Mind if we join you guys? Can't find anywhere to sit… Oh, sorry nobody's sitting with you are they?"

Irvine shook his head. "No, no, please sit down. Seifer, that ok with you?"

Seifer nodded. "Yeah that'll be fine, there's enough room. Just the two of you here?"

Rinoa shook her head as she set down the drinks in her hands onto the table. "Our friend went off to the karaoke table a while ago, if you'll excuse me; I'll go find her and bring her here. Thanks for letting us sit with you, I appreciate it."

Selphie parked herself beside Irvine with a very big grin. Rinoa rolled her eyes as she stepped away from the table.

She pushed through the crowd and spotted Kat's deep red hair glistening under the spotlights a few feet away. She was chatting up the guy at the karaoke desk. "Typical." She said with a sigh "You can't take her or Selphie anywhere without them flirting."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar mop of chestnut hair standing by the stage and her heart leapt in her chest. So he'd finally left his room then.

She'd been very aware he'd clammed up after that night; but it surprised her that he's holed up in his room for almost a week over it. She felt so bad hearing him play melancholic songs all day and night and at one point she'd thought to knock on his door to tell him everything and apologise. Common sense had kicked in quickly though; she'd have been lucky to get away in one piece if he suddenly got angry with her.

She waved at Kat to grab her attention and called to her over the soft music playing in the background.

"Katie!" she said loudly when Kat failed to acknowledge her. "Quit flirting and hurry up picking the song for your duet with Sel! We found somewhere to sit!"

Squall's head snapped up at the sound of her voice and followed its source to her position ten feet away in the crowd. A breath caught in his chest and he sobered up very quickly the instant he saw her profile. She was saying something at the person he couldn't see behind the crowd; he could make out the words 'song' and 'duet' forming on her lips as she frowned in annoyance.

She stopped talking and looked in his direction, like she'd felt his eyes watching her. She gave a weak smile accompanied by a poor attempt at a wave with her fingers and a strong feeling washed over him.

It hit him hard, the realisation. Alexa had been on his mind so much recently he'd forgotten about the other girl who had also captivated him.

Having Alexa knock him down hadn't been as painful as he'd first thought, it didn't hurt him as much as he'd let himself believe over the past few days.

He'd honestly thought he had been falling in love with her; she'd ignited a flame inside him he'd thought was long dead, brought out a side of him he never knew was there because he'd wanted to know her. Even after the way she'd behaved last week his thoughts had been filled with her since he'd come home.

But now he realised the truth... the reason he'd not been heartbroken… was that he hadn't been in love with her at all. She was just a fantasy he couldn't have for his own, like a celebrity or a character in a book or game.

She'd been nothing more than a stopgap for his emotions, a rebound for Allison. He'd tried to get to know her and ended up with nothing but a bruised ego. And he hadn't been as stung by the whole thing; she had been right about him deserving better, he just hadn't wanted to believe it at the time.

But now it was literally staring him in the face; the rebound girl never ends up with you no matter how hard you try to make it work, you're meant to be with someone you really have feelings for. Someone you connect with... know on a personal level...

And he realised with a hard thud in his chest that his feelings were a lot stronger for the girl in front of him than the stripper at Angels'. He was falling for Rinoa… and it scared the shit out of him.

* * *

**Author's Note II:** Oh my god! My chapters keep getting longer and longer! I only give the jist of the following chapters but when I start on them, they expand into bigger things. I cannot help myself! Twenty pages and 1,479 minutes of typing out and editing this chapter, I finally get to the part I needed to kick start the next stage of the story, woo hoo!

Don't take Seifer's opinion on the music choices as my own thoughts; I actually like Rascal Flatts and NightCore songs. I tried to give Squall a different perspective on music, rather than just rock songs or the like that I've seen in other stories. Oooh! Did you see the adapted game quote I put in there earlier? Hehe.

**Chapter Twelve: Confusion:** Already aware he liked her since the beginning; Squall wonders how he can go about dealing with these feelings. His turn on the karaoke arrives and he lets them out into the open in an attempt to let Rinoa know that he likes her. But she doesn't see it as her, she believes he is referring to Alexa and gets out of the pub before her emotions got the better of her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note: **Well I've done well to keep them apart so far, gotta be some sort of record for me here! One kiss and a near kiss in total, 7 chapters ago and nothing since.

Oh and to cover my arse on publishing lyrics inside my stories, I have written a song of my own! It is called Let Me Breathe Again. This is NOT a song you will find anywhere else but this story and there are no rules against making up your own songs. I did look at a lot of songs I wanted to use (and would have edited them out as necessary to comply with the rules) but none of them fit in properly and I couldn't find a similar song that I liked so I used ideas from all of them to create one of my own. No, I am NOT saying I copied lines from the songs either; they are all my own words, ok?

Squall's singing voice, in my head anyway, is a cross between Darren Hayes and David Archuleta- they have fantastic vocals! Hopefully you can imagine my lyrics being sung in their fashion. Think Crash and Burn by Savage Garden and Crush by David Archuleta.

**Last Chapter:**

But now it was literally staring him in the face; the rebound girl never ends up with you no matter how hard you try to make it work, you're meant to be with someone you really have feelings for. Someone you connect with… know on a personal level…

And he realises with a hard thud in his chest that his feelings were a lot stronger for the girl in front of him than the stripper at Angels'. He was falling for Rinoa… and it scared the shit out of him.

**Chapter Twelve: Confusion**

They stared at each other for a brief moment while Squall felt his thoughts sinking in deeper and deeper into his mind. His palms started getting clammy and his chest felt tight. His eyes widened and a flush crept along his face.

He'd just realised that he liked her. Really liked her. What was he supposed to do now? Should he go over to her and say it?

Her own cheeks became bright with colour and she cast her eyes down. He saw a tall blonde guy come up behind her and tap her shoulder. She turned to smile at him; her brown eyes sparkled with delight as she leaned over for a big hug. She looked very happy to see him and he looked to be whispering something into her ear, Squall watched her face flush again and read her lips as they formed a small 'thank you' and hugged the guy tighter as he stroked her hair.

Squall felt the bile rise in his throat. Was he…her boyfriend? He thought she didn't have one, well she said weeks ago she hadn't got one. And he hadn't spent any proper time with her recently so it could be possible. Damn, had he missed his chance?

_Stupid idiot! Why was I so obsessed with Alexa when Rinoa was standing in front of me the whole time?!_

Much to Squall's relief, Rinoa pulled away and had a brief chat with him before waving him off. Ok so he must have been a friend or something, if he'd been her boyfriend she would have kissed him or something, right? He watched her frown as a red haired girl approached her and she started talking with her.

* * *

She hugged her co-worker tight, feeling a million times better. Stuart always knew how to give the best hugs. Stuart worked in the office with Fisher, mostly watching the CCTV while he did his rounds and the stocktaking, but he always had a shoulder for the girls to cry on if need be.

He was the perfect gentleman; sometimes it was such a waste that he had a boyfriend of his own. He wasn't your stereotypical gay guy either; with the gym-sculpted body, fantastic dress sense, swishy hair; drawn out words like 'dah-ling' and 'fa-bu-lous', to most people he seemed as straight as a flag pole. Well, until he'd had a few drinks anyway!

"Don't worry Rin; what happened tonight, it wasn't your fault babe." He said softy next to her ear. "Boss isn't mad at you about it; in fact he was rather impressed with your tossing abilities. Hell, we all were! You're a lot tougher than you let on, you know?"

"Thanks Stu, it has helped hearing you say that." She said bashfully. "I thought he was gonna blow a gasket and start yelling at me."

He pulled her closer and ran his fingers down her dark hair to reassure her. "Nah. Put your mind at rest petal, he'd never do that. He's a big teddy bear really, just a bit rough around the edges. He has his reasons for putting on that front of his, and you don't need to fret over silly things, ok? Keep your chin up."

She pulled back with a big smile. "You always say the right things to cheer us all up." she laughed. "Why'd you have to be gay huh?"

He smiled back at her, his dark blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "Honey, if I ever decided to be with a woman, you'd be my first choice, you know that. But Hyne made me who I am, a big sister to all my li'l girls at work. Better that way right? Besides, you'll have to go out and find a guy for yourself, pretty little thing like you can't stay single forever right?"

_**That's the idea; I have no time for a boyfriend, not with my plans for the future. No matter how much I want to be with a certain guy…**_

She shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Hey, I need to drag Kat away from that guy over there, she's supposed to be sorting out a song for her and Selphie to sing tonight. But I'll see you later?"

Stuart nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Bryan is waiting for me to come back too; I only came in to use the bathroom. I'll catch you tomorrow ok? Remember what I said darling, no more worries tonight!"

She waved him off and frowned at Kat who was slowly breaking away from the desk.

"Finally!" she said in exasperation as Kat reached her side. "Were you two exchanging wedding vows or something?"

"Close enough, I got his number and we're going on a date next week!" she replied brandishing a slip of paper with digits scribbled on.

"Lucky you," Rinoa said bitterly. "Come on, we found a table to sit at."

"Rin, c'mon chill out, no need to be jealous. Why don't you find yourself a guy, you've been all mopey this last week, more than usual. Or at least hook up with someone for the night, you're bringing down my good mojo here!"

_**Not this again! Why is everyone obsessed with my love life all of a sudden? There's only one guy I want and I can't have him; for my own sanity!**_

"Enough of that, now I see where Selphie gets her ideas from." Rinoa stated as she pulled her across the crowded bar. "Just a heads up; the guys we're sitting with were regulars last year. Knowing Selphie, she's probably tonguing one of them by now so we need to rescue her."

* * *

She disappeared through the crowd, leaving his line of sight with the red headed girl. He stepped forward to go after her but was stopped by the guy running the karaoke machine.

"You're up next after that group have finished their song." He told him, pointing at four drunken sorority girls who had started wailing into the microphones. Whatever they were supposed to be singing, it was unrecognisable!

Squall looked back at the crowd and to his surprise; he saw her about to sit at the table with Seifer, Irvine, Selphie and the red head.

He then looked back to the man. "I need to change my song choice, it's not too late right?" he asked.

"You need to be quick with your decision; you got about two minutes before those girls finish their song and then you'll be going up. I can set up the machine to play whatever you like in twenty seconds so what artist and song do you want to use now?"

"The new one by Tantalus; do you have it on file?" his eyes swivelled from the microphone and back to Rinoa. The guy scratched his head.

"Yeah, I think so; I'll head on over to rig it up."

Squall should have felt nervous, but the truth was he had been enlightened from the whole thing with Alexa and was confident that he could do this. Rinoa acted around him in a way that would suggest she liked him too, so he had no reason to see why she'd knock him back.

Screw the unspoken rule about dating housemates; he wasn't prepared to wait a year for this chance. Someone else would snap her up if he left it that long, he was certain of that inevitability, she was a stunning girl. It would be a matter of time, unless he did this now.

* * *

"So Katie, this is Seifer and Irvine, they're two of the guys I share the house with. They said we could sit with them." Rinoa said as she pushed Kat's Martini across the table and reached for her pint glass full of Coke. She was driving tonight of course, so no alcohol for her.

Kat had been surprised to see who the customers Rinoa had warned her about were, but she hid it very well.

"Nice to meet you." She said politely.

Seifer had a thought buzzing round his head; this girl was pretty cute, Squall would like her.

"The pleasure is all mine. We need to introduce you to our friend Squall when he comes back to the table."

Of course, Kat knew exactly who Squall was; having seen plenty of him at work. And she knew where Seifer's track of thought was going for an introduction. She wasn't interested though; she knew Rinoa had a mini thing for him and was refusing to act on it.

"So where's he hiding?" she asked.

"Oh, he's around somewhere," Seifer told her with a wave of his hand.

"He said he's gonna sing on the karaoke. Which is the only reason we're here of course." Irvine said before taking a long pull on his drink.

"Awww Irvine, are you singing too?" Selphie asked excitedly. Irvine did a spit take, spraying Seifer with his beer.

"What the hell man?! That is disgusting!" Seifer wiped the lukewarm, saliva mingled liquid from his face with a glare.

"Sorry Seifer." Irvine said with a wince. He turned to face Selphie, who was looking at him with wide green eyes. "Uh, no we're not singing, Squall is. It was my fault for mentioning it actually; he didn't want to go anywhere else."

"Is he any good at singing?" Kat asked with interest. "Some of the wannabes in here sound like cats swinging by their tails."

Seifer answered her question. "Put it this way, get some ear plugs out. If I know him; he'll have picked some heavy metal shit and scream it out."

Rinoa had sat quietly while the four of them shared their friendly banter. She'd heard him playing very sad music this past week; it was possible Seifer was going to be wrong.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked the blonde who eyed her curiously. "The stuff I heard him playing in his room was very melancholy; perhaps he'll do something like that." She added quickly and looked into her drink.

"Nah, he stopped playing that shit earlier. Besides, I can guarantee he'll sing something loud and angry."

Irvine looked up from his drink. "Seifer, maybe Rinoa has a point. He has played a lot of that stuff recently."

With an air of arrogance Seifer smiled. "Ok then, let's make it more interesting. I'll bet you 20 Gil he chooses something heavy."

"Ok, I'll see you're 20 Gil and raise you another 10, _plus_ a week of doing my laundry, that he'll pick something by Rascal Flatts." Irvine said smugly.

"That is nasty, but you have a deal my friend." Seifer shook Irvine's hand in agreement across the table. The girls watched the exchange with ill-disguised amusement.

"Mind if I join in?" Selphie asked. "I think you'll both be wrong in your guesses."

"Oh really?" Seifer asked with surprise. "No offense, but you don't know him at all; what makes you think he'll do something other than what we say?"

"None taken Seifer, but my gut tells me that he'll sing something fluffy."

"No way, he isn't into all that mushy crap." Irvine laughed while Seifer nodded.

"Let's see about that shall we? Minus laundry duty I'll bet 30 Gil on anything but your suggestions." Selphie said smugly.

"Only one way to find out, looks like it's his turn now." Kat said, pointing towards the mini stage. The girl group were leaving and Squall was stepping into the vacant area. The disk jockey called out over the slowly dying music over the bar.

"Let's give a big round of applause for the Starlets everyone! And it is my pleasure to introduce Mr Leonheart to the stage!"

* * *

His legs were like jelly as he made his way towards the microphone and stood in front of the masses of customers staring expectantly at him. He cleared his throat, feeling the dryness spreading further around his mouth.

Ok his confidence was nothing but a front; now he'd sobered up to realise he was scared out of his mind. His nerves set in the second he saw her looking up at him from the table. His back felt damp as he started sweating; thankfully he had a black shirt on! Was he really going to do this?

Slow beating music blared out from the speakers around him and lyrics formed on the screen beside him, prompting him to start singing. It was too late to change his mind now.

_(Whispers) Let me breathe again… _

_Oooh Ohhh…_

_So here I am, standing here waiting_

_Waiting for you to notice me_

_The pain inside, starts to subside_

_And it's all because you're here_

_With me_

Seifer and Irvine smacked their foreheads with a groan. Out of everything he could have picked; he just had to be singing _this_ song! Tantalus was a favoured band of theirs but recently they'd started playing love songs rather that the deep, powerful tunes they were used to.

Selphie gave Rinoa a knowing look, one that spoke volumes about his song choice and direction. Rinoa wanted to look away but her eyes and ears were drawn to him as he stood up there, singing softly into the microphone.

_Time again, I wonder why_

_My heart gets broke in two_

_But you're near me, and now I see_

_That I see the light again, in you…_

He picked up the pace in his voice as the words to the chorus started rolling up the screen before him.

_I wanna be with you, no matter what_

_Please help me fix my broken heart_

_I try and try to forget the past_

_But it haunts me so much that I can't breathe_

_Don't hold back, baby_

_Help me to breathe, breathe again_

_I need to breathe, breathe again_

People started clapping and calling out as he continued with the song. Rinoa felt uncomfortable. It was obvious he was singing about her, well Alexa. Even after the way she'd treated him, he was still holding out for the stripper. But what surprised her was the way Squall looked at her while he sang.

_A voice inside, keeps telling me_

_That I shouldn't feel this way_

_But deep inside, I cannot hide_

_You are my fantasy_

_In your past, present and future lives_

_That's where I want to be, yeah_

_I wanna be with you, no matter what_

_Please help me fix my broken heart_

_I try and try to forget the past_

_But it haunts me so much that I can't breathe_

_Don't hold back, baby_

_Help me to breathe, breathe again_

_I need to breathe, breathe again_

_One look at you and I feel whole_

_For the first time since that day_

_My hands start shaking, my mouth goes dry_

_I see the light within your eyes_

_And I don't feel alone, any more_

_No… no…_

He glanced at the screen every so often, the lyrics already embedded in his mind, before keeping his gaze at the dark haired girl sitting with his friends. She was looking into her drink, trying not to look directly at him, her eyes looking up through her lashes with a tint of pink covering her cheeks. He smiled and kept on singing.

_I wanna be with you, no matter what_

_Please help me fix my broken heart_

_I try and try to forget the past_

_But it haunts me so much that I can't breathe_

_Don't hold back, baby_

_Help me to breathe, breathe again_

_I need to breathe, breathe again_

Seifer and Irvine were making pukey faces at each other. Forgetting they'd lost the bet, this was just _so_ much more painful to witness: Squall Leonheart, singing a _love_ song of all things!

Kat and Selphie tried very hard not to swoon and laugh at Rinoa who was shrinking in her seat. They saw it, he was singing to _her_. Had she figured it out yet? If she had, surely she'd realise it was borderline crazy to even consider going further.

_I'll be waiting here for you, _

_So if you come here, you'll find me_

_With my arms out wide to catch you_

_If you fall down_

_I'll keep you safe from harm_

Their eyes met and he sent her a small smile, pulling the microphone closer to his mouth with the other.

_Just let me into your heart baby_

_And I won't ever leave you, I swear_

_I promise you this, right here and now_

_Just give me the chance_

_Cos now I see_

_That we were meant to_

_Meant to be_

_Ohhh yeah…_

Rinoa realised that she needed to get out of there. She felt so bad for him, singing out like that for the side of her he'd fallen for, the one who had behaved like such a bitch to keep him away. The one who tricked him several times and stamped on his heart; she wouldn't be able to look him in the face if he came back to the table. And judging from Selphie and Kat's reactions, she'd be in for some merciless teasing later on.

Hopefully she could get away before the tears started falling down her face. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the cramping pain in her chest and the tears filling up in her eyes.

_I wanna be with you, no matter what_

_Please help me fix my broken heart_

_I try and try to forget the past_

_But it haunts me so much that I can't breathe_

_Don't hold back, baby_

_Help me to breathe, breathe again_

_I need to breathe, breathe again_

Coming up to the final verse; Squall leaned into the microphone, pushing himself harder as he did his best to complete the song, praying she'd realise he was doing it for her.

_I believe this can work if you let me_

_Just let me try, let me try_

_Don't turn me away_

_I need you in my life, by my side, my side_

_So don't be shy_

_Baby please, stay with me…_

_Help me to, breathe again, breathe again_

_I need to, breathe again, breathe again_

_Let me breathe… _

_(Whispers) Again_

The music died off and there was a brief second of silence before the noise started. The applause was deafening as the crowd roared with appreciation. Squall blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head as he scanned the room.

_Looks like they enjoyed it._

"Wow! Mr Leonheart, looks like you made some fans here tonight!" the DJ called through his microphone. "What do you say folks? Let's give him another round of applause."

Lots of people stood up to cheer at him, blocking his view of the table.

While he was otherwise distracted Rinoa saw her chance to escape.

"Excuse me guys." She said as she stood up, draining her glass. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Want us to come with you?" Kat asked. She shook her head at her.

"I'm only going for a smoke; you don't need to tag along with me for that. I'll be right back, ok?"

That was a lie of course, she'd have them think she was going out for a cigarette and head back to the club for her bike. Selphie and Kat gave her a suspicious look. Rinoa signalled with her eyes to keep their mouths shut, a silent promise to discuss things later.

Rinoa walked off quickly, as the DJ was announcing the next group to the stage. She had to get out of there and get to her bike before anyone else cottoned on.

* * *

Squall got off the stage as another group of guys walked over to have their moment in the spotlight. He was relieved nobody had laughed at him as he stood up there; he wasn't the best singer, his limitations were normally in the privacy of his room or singing in the shower! He must have pleased the crowd; either that or they were too intoxicated to know what good singing skills were! The former option was what he wanted to believe.

He had a few punters telling him that he'd sung brilliantly and whether he'd do an encore or not. Politely declining to do so; his mind travelled back to the matter at hand. Rinoa.

He pushed past the crowd to the table. Irvine waved a fresh beer in his face the second he arrived.

"Not bad Squall, you surprised us with the song." he said as Squall took a much needed suck on the bottle.

"Yeah, we thought you were half cut. You sobered up a lot quicker than we expected." Seifer said, taking a swig of his own drink. Squall put his beer down and shrugged casually.

"Thanks guys…"

He frowned, noting that Rinoa was no longer sitting with them. Selphie knew she needed to distract him and jumped in on praising him.

"Wow, that was amazing! You're really good at singing Squall." She said enthusiastically. Kat nodded in agreement.

"I thought you were Zidane Tribal himself, well done!"

Squall felt himself getting hot under the collar again. Being compared to the legendary lead singer of the famous Tantalus by a complete stranger was new to him, embarrassing but it felt pretty good at the same time.

"Aha, thanks. Er… sorry but do I know you?"

"Whoops, where are my manners?" Kat offered him her hand. "My name's Katie, I live with Selphie and I know Rinoa from campus."

He took her hand and gave it a shake. His eyes searched around the room. "Where… is Rinoa? Wasn't she just here?" he asked.

"She's in the bathroom." Selphie said quickly.

"She's gone to the bar." said Kat at the same time.

His eyes knitted together as he took another sip from his drink, his bangs hiding the confusion on his face. "Which is it?" he asked as he put the bottle down.

Something was amiss; he could tell they were lying. The speed of their simultaneous and opposite answers had him puzzled beyond belief.

"I dunno what these two are saying bro, but I heard her announce she wanted a cigarette." Seifer said as he stood up. "It's a bit stuffy in here, so she may be catching a breeze. Want me to go check for you? I'm on my way out there for a smoke."

Squall shook his head. "No, I'll come with you. Kinda need one to calm my nerves after being up there."

"Don't worry about me lads; I have these two lovely ladies to keep me company." Irvine grinned at Selphie and Kat happily.

Squall followed Seifer through the crowd; meandering around people who didn't move out of the way.

"I dunno why you're nervous man; you did pretty good up there." Seifer commented as they reached the front door leading to the outside smoking area.

"Have you never experienced stage fright before Seifer? I sobered up the minute I realised there were about a hundred people staring at me." Squall said pushing the door open and letting his friend pass through first.

"Stage fright, you?" Seifer laughed, reaching into his pocket for his Embassy. He lit one and gave Squall a funny look. "Excuse me for not believing that, you never used to get nervous in front of a crowd before."

Squall shrugged and lit up his own cigarette. "People change, besides it's been a very long time since I did this sort of thing."

"When have you _ever_ gotten on a karaoke stage before?"

Squall raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. This guy didn't know everything about him then.

"Before I met you and Irvine, I did it a few times at one of Elle's birthday parties. I could have sworn I mentioned it once." He replied. "Like I said, people change."

Seifer hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess they do."

They stood smoking for a few minutes in silence. Seifer dropped his filter on the floor and stamped out the cherry with his foot.

"Coming back inside? Looks like we need to rescue those girls from Irvine; he's got a jock itch on the brain for sure by now."

"A jock itch? Really?" Squall asked in amazement. "When was the last time he brought a girl home?"

"Not that I'm keeping track, but I think it was before we moved into the house." Seifer said casually. Squall's eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Seriously? No way has it been that long! What about that girl from the supermarket the other week? I thought he and she… you know?"

Seifer waved his hand dismissively. "He says nothing happened; you know Irvine as well as I do. He's such a horn dog he'd have been bragging about it if he had done her."

"That's true." Squall admitted. "So how come he hasn't brought anyone home yet? You'd think he'd want to 'christen' his new bed." He commented.

"He won't say but my guess is because of the adjustment to the class timetables and whatnot, he hasn't found someone new to screw around with yet. The semester has hardly started, he has plenty of time." Seifer walked to the door and pushed it open. "Hey, what's it to you if Irvine is getting laid or not anyway? You need to focus on getting your frustrations dealt with."

"Who says I'm not?" Squall replied defensively as he followed him inside. Seifer chuckled.

"Squall, your hand is _not_ a replacement for a real woman ok? Don't even try and tell me that it is." He said loudly, passing round the groups of standing customers.

"Keep it down will you? People can hear you!" Squall said with a bright flush on his cheeks as he pushed past, right behind him. "And I don't need you to tell me what I already know either." He hissed quietly into his ear.

"Ahhh!" Seifer said knowingly. "So you have someone already then? Thank Hyne, we thought it would never happen!"

"Not exactly but I have a certain girl in mind, yes." Squall said as they reached the table. Squall noted that Rinoa still hadn't returned from wherever she was supposed to be. Had she gone home?

"Hope Irvine here hasn't tried any funny business with you two girls. Apologies for leaving you with him so long." Seifer said as he sat down.

"It's ok, he's been very entertaining." Kat said. Seifer turned to Irvine.

"Just had a very interesting conversation with Squall here outside, might be of interest you."

"Oh? What about?" Irvine asked.

"Seifer, don't you dare!" Squall warned the blonde. "We have company, save it for later."

Seifer smiled. "He's finally found someone."

"At last man! Is she cute?" Irvine looked up expectantly. Selphie and Kat both looked at him with interest.

"Yeah." Squall sat down and grabbed his beer. "But she's not just good-looking, she's really smart." He took a swig from the bottle. "And she's funny too. I like her a lot."

"You gonna ask her out right?" Irvine asked.

"I think so." He replied.

"Anyone we know?" Seifer asked.

Selphie gave Kat a look, waggling her eyebrows. They both stood up, surprising the males at the table.

"Excuse us guys, we're gonna nip to the ladies'. Back soon!" Kat said, pulling on Selphie's arm.

"Yeah, keep our seats free!" Selphie called as they walked from the table.

* * *

Once in the safety of the bathroom, Selphie whipped out her phone.

"Reckon she'll answer?" Kat asked, leaning against the sinks. Selphie scrolled down her contacts list, searching for Rinoa's mobile number.

"Dunno but I won't stop calling until she does. This is not good."

"I'll say." Kat agreed. "Why did it have to be him of all people? Do you think she got the message? Could be the reason she ran out on us."

Selphie held her phone to her ear, listening to the ringing tone. "I'll bet my entire wages this week on it. She's too smart not to see what he was trying to do."

"And how will she deal with it this time? I mean, it was easier to be cruel with the mask on her face, this time she can't hide behind her other persona without him finding out who she is."

There was no answer. Selphie redialled Rinoa's phone, praying she would pick up this time. "She has to be firm without giving it away. I mean you saw me turn Irvine down, that was pretty difficult to do."

"You did well though; he didn't seem too upset about it."

"_Hi this is Rinoa; I'm not here to take your call right now. But if you leave me your name and a message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for calling! BEEP!"_

"Geez Rinny! Answer the damn phone! I know you're home by now, so pick up!" Selphie shouted into the tiny device.

While Seifer and Squall had been outside, Irvine had shown her a text he'd composed, asking her to go out with him sometime. She'd brought out her own mobile in return and had typed in a short apology to show him. He'd written a good natured 'lol, np' in reply and left it at that.

She redialled her again. "If he hadn't been a customer I'd have seriously considered it. But safety is one of the issues. Rinoa actually knows Squall outside of the club… that makes it ten times worse because they're friends now. Dammit!" The phone rang and rang but went to voicemail again.

"Do you think Squall will be crushed if she says no to him asking her out?" Kat enquired.

"Not half as much as she will be, you saw the way she looked at him in work; she is more than a bit smitten."

"I still don't get it, if she likes him so much then why she can't just start dating him? Forgetting her cover being blown for a moment, what harm could it do? He's cute and seems very keen on her too by the looks of things. That song was a dead giveaway!"

Selphie redialled again. "She says she doesn't want to be distracted from her studies. She has some kind of twenty year plan or something, she won't show it to me but she made it clear that romance is not on the cards. Agggh!" She jabbed the 'off' button in frustration.

Kat ran her fingers through her scarlet hair. Looks like Rinoa still wasn't answering then.

"Shall we go over there, try and at least warn her that he wants to ask her out?" she asked her smaller friend.

Selphie pouted. "No way, if she won't answer the phone to me now then why should we bother? Let's get out of here; we'll tell the guys we're going home. Let Rinoa wallow in the mess she created herself. She's on her own now." She said very seriously.

* * *

Rinoa sat on her bed with a book in her lap and watched her phone display light up with Selphie's number for the fourth time in ten minutes. She refused to pick it up; she knew exactly what Selphie was calling her about and she was not prepared to hear it.

She'd been home just over an hour, changed into her pyjamas, removed her contacts and had slumped down with a cigarette in hand, trying to cease the thoughts running through her head. Just having Selphie call her phone had brought them back to the surface.

She didn't want to hear that Squall was singing to her alter ego, she was very much aware of that fact, having sat through the whole thing herself, and she certainly didn't want reminding about it.

She flicked the page over on the book she was reading and reached for her half empty 0.25l bottle of vodka. She'd stopped at an off licence on her way home to stock up on cigarettes and found herself requesting a bottle of alcohol. She unscrewed the lid and took a large swig from the transparent container. She shuddered at the taste as the liquid trailed down her throat.

_**Real mature Rinoa, drink yourself stupid because you can't deal with life. And you're supposed to be an adult who wants to be a great doctor. Some doctor you'll make, getting stroppy over something as stupid as a guy.**_

"Shut up." she growled to herself and took another deep swig. She needed something to block the pain, to erase the memory of tonight from her mind, to help her sleep.

_**I'll be here all night honey, you can't escape me. Sure you feel bad now, but I keep saying it was the right choice.**_

"I said shut up!" she cried out angrily and threw her book to the floor. She slid off her bed and paced the floor, vodka in hand, taking swigs every 3 turns. She should have been tired by now; but the alcohol wasn't doing anything except raise her aggression.

"This isn't fair, why is he so hung up on a person who treated him like something on the bottom of their shoe? Was he not listening when I told him to find someone else to fawn over?" she said aloud as she walked back and forth. "He hardly knew me as Alexa; three weeks' time is not long enough to fall for someone!"

A thump hit the inside of her chest.

**Are you sure about that? You may say it but that's not how you really feel. I know better than anyone, what goes on inside of you.**

"Oh Hyne, not this again!" she drained the last few drops from the bottle and dropped it into her waste paper basket.

She heard a car door slam shut from below the back driveway and she jumped onto her bed quickly.

"Thanks for picking us up Zell, these two are so plastered I wouldn't have been able to walk them home without being dragged into the gutters." She heard Irvine saying from below her open window.

"No problem Irvine, who are you gonna carry in? Seifer or Squall?" Zell asked.

"I'll take the little guy; he's in the worst state."

"Little guy?! What the fuck Irvine, I'm four inches shorter than you!" Squall moaned loudly. "Get off me; I can manage those stairs myself- OOF!"

She peeked out of the window to see Squall sprawled out on the concrete below next to Zell's red car.

"Haha Puberty Boy, did the floor ask you for a cuddle?" Seifer cackled out into the dark. "Give it a kiss good night then!"

"Dammit Seifer, I am gonna kick your ass! Shit, my head hurts!"

"Keep it down you two! Our neighbours can hear this." Zell hissed. "Do you want our landlord to get informed about unsocial activity and give us a warning?! There is no way in Hyne's earth I am moving back into dorms again."

"C'mon Zell help me free Seifer before he breaks your seatbelts. Squall can pick himself off the floor." Irvine said.

"Hey, hey, watch the jacket!" Seifer growled. "This cost me a fortune you know!"

"Yeah sure, c'mon Cinderella, ups-a-daisy!" Zell said as he pulled Seifer free from the car.

"Cinderella…! You are dead in the morning Chicken Wuss." Seifer threatened.

"Let's get inside guys; I think you both need a strong coffee to sober up." Irvine said pulling on Seifer's other arm. "Whose idea was it to start on a shot-drinking contest huh?"

"He started it!" Seifer and Squall shouted simultaneously.

Rinoa pushed her window open further and leaned out. "Do you guys mind keeping the noise down? Some people are trying to go to sleep!" she called down to them.

She saw their heads follow the sound of her voice to her window on the roof. Irvine and Zell waved up to her.

"Hey Rinoa, sorry about all the racket. I just need to get this pair inside, they're a bit drunk." Irvine explained.

"I can see that Irvine. Thanks." She called down before sliding her window closed. She heard them enter through the back door in the kitchen. She sighed deeply and sat back down on her bed.

She rested her back against the wall, reached for another cigarette, lit it and took in a deep breath. Squall had been staring so intently at her while she hung out of the window; she couldn't understand why. Was he mad or something, what had she done to receive such contempt?

"He doesn't…?! Oh Hyne, he knows my secret!" she gasped in panic. "That must be it, oh no!"

She didn't have much time to think further; the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs reached ears. The movement stopped outside her door and she held her breath as a small tapping sound on her door was heard.

"Rinoa?"

She knew it was Squall standing outside her door.

She slid from her bed and wrapped her dressing gown around herself as she crossed the room. She stopped next to her door and he knocked again.

"Rinoa? Are you still awake?"

Slowly she unlocked her door and opened it a few inches. She found herself looking up into his crystal blue eyes as he leaned against the outside of her doorframe.

"Hi." He said softly. She felt a flush creeping across her face, remembering that gentle voice singing in the pub earlier, her heart thumping wildly inside her ribs.

"Hey, what is it?" she asked him, trying not to show her anxiety.

"Did I wake you up?"

"I was almost asleep, so kind of, yeah. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, sorry…" he slid his fingers through his hair as he looked down to the floor.

_Hyne this is harder than I thought! Did she not get it?_

_**Is he going to stand here all night? **_

Rinoa sighed, bringing his attention back to her face.

"Look it's really late at night, can this wait til tomorrow? I'm really tired." She said, attempting to close the door on him. He put his foot inside the gap, stopping her in her tracks. She looked back at him.

"Can I come in?"

Her eyes widened as her internal alarm bells began ringing. "Why… why do you want to come into my room?"

"I'd rather not talk through a gap in the door, if it's all the same to you. Please?" he asked, leaning into the opening so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. He sounded so serious; this was not going to end well for her. She could feel it in her gut.

"What do you want to talk about at one in the morning, that can't wait until tomorrow? I think you need to go to bed and get some rest." she said firmly.

"Wait, hear me out." He pleaded softly. "If I don't say it now then I won't be able to in the morning."

"W-what do you want to say? Have I done something wrong?" she stammered. He shook his head at her.

"No, it's nothing like that. Will you let me in to explain?"

She knew that she shouldn't, but found herself pulling the door open so he could step inside. She left the door open though; she wanted his visit to be brief.

She walked over to her ashtray, noted the one she had started had burned out already, and lit another cigarette as he inspected her room. She was relieved that she had cleaned it up earlier; it would have been more than awkward having to explain the corsets and monster heels that had been lying on the floor hours ago without dropping herself in it.

"So what is it Squall?" she asked, blowing out a cloud of smoke as he paced the floor of her room for several minutes without saying a word.

_Tell her straight you moron! Stop pussy-footing around and get it over with!_

She noted his silence and became irritated by his fidgeting. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. "I have no idea what you would want to talk to me about at this Hyne forsaken hour but I think you should-"

"I like you, and I want to ask you out." He blurted out, turning to face her.

**Author's Note II:** Here we go folks! It's finally happened! Now where do we go from here, hmm? How will she respond to this, without the guise of her alter ego to protect her? What happens in that room after those fated words have been let out into the open?

You'll need to wait for the next chapter, aiming to have it out by the 20th March but not sure if I'll have it ready in time for my birthday like I wanted. We'll see!

Did you like my song? Spent two hours coming up with the lyrics, it had to be perfect for my adoring fans xx

**Chapter Thirteen: Fresh Start:** Rinoa is stunned by Squall's declaration but gives him her answer. The aftermath of the conversation is one that changes everything between them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note: **I must say, writing this story had kept me very busy and it had come on a lot further than I had first planned.

If anyone is getting confused by the arguments between Rinoa's heart and mind, they will make sense later on in the story. Explosive content coming up at that point.

_**Bold italics**_ for Rinoa, _regular italics_ for Squall.

**Last Chapter:**

_Tell her straight you moron! Stop pussy-footing around and get it over with!_

She noted his silence and became irritated by his fidgeting. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep. "I have no idea what you would want to talk to me about at this Hyne forsaken hour but I think you should-"

"I like you, and I want to ask you out." He blurted out, turning to face her.

**Chapter Thirteen: Fresh Start**

She dropped the tiny stub of her cigarette in shock. It landed on her duvet and she snatched it off quickly before it burned a hole in the cover. Where had this come from all of a sudden?

Selphie had mentioned something about him looking at her in a particular way in the kitchen a few weeks ago. She hadn't believed she was serious about it. Now she was wishing she'd paid closer attention, it all made sense.

She recalled the intensity of his eyes on her as he held her after her fall down the stairs at school. The way he glanced in her direction whenever they were in the same room. The song he sang this evening… had it been for her?

And now he was asking her out. She should have been thrilled but she was frightened. This shouldn't have happened, she'd told him to move onto someone else, not _her_! She was trapped.

Squall's heart was racing. He'd said it, but the look on her face told him that it had been unexpected. He had to be direct. She'd disappeared from the pub and he'd thought she had realised it at that point and was a bit scared. He now saw it was probably not that what had made her flee.

"W-what did you say?" she stuttered. He sat himself down on her desk chair in front of her.

"I said I want to ask you out." He repeated.

_It could have waited until tomorrow but honestly; I daren't have asked you this being sober._

She looked at him with her eyes wide open and let out a shaky breath. Her hands gripped the duvet beneath her. Her heart thudded excitedly in her chest and she forced herself to ignore it.

_**Shit! Now what do I do?**_

She had prepared herself for this weeks' ago, but they'd not spoken since that night after being in the pub. She had threatened him if she remembered it rightly. Had he not been warned off by her attitude?

"I'm really sorry." She heard herself saying. "It's very kind of you to ask but I… I don't date."

A lump formed in his throat, he hadn't seen this coming. She was turning him down?

_What the…?_

"You… _don't_ date?" he asked in amazement. She kept her gaze on him.

"No, I don't have the time to. I have a busy life, there's no room to fit in anyone or anything else around school or my job. Don't get me wrong; you're a great guy and all..."

_Not this speech! Twice in a week, Hyne I am not cut out for this shit!_

"But I'd rather we stayed friends, is that ok?" she finished. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Friends… right…" he said slowly, coming down from his alcohol induced high.

She immediately felt like she had been hit with a tonne of bricks; the look on his face was too awful to endure. "Oh, I'm sorry! I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear but I ca-"

He put his hand up. "It's ok, honestly." He knuckled his forehead, feeling a headache brewing behind his eyes. "Look; I'm drunk and I don't know why I thought about doing this. I guess I misread your behaviour and I thought that… well, you know? I really like you and I understand your reasons. Sorry for putting you on the spot like that."

_**He thinks that he misread me… that's not exactly true, but…**_

"Um… it's ok… don't worry about it." she said softly and stared at her lap. They both went quiet. What else could be said right now?

Squall stood from the chair. "I better go; you said you were tired so uh… I'll leave you to it. See you around?"

"Yeah, sure." She looked back up to his retreating figure. "Sleep well." She said, forcing a small smile. He looked back and gave her one of his own.

"You too." He replied and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him.

She exhaled deeply and switched off her bedside lamp, curling up on her side in the dark. It didn't take long for the tears to start falling again.

Twice. She'd broken him twice in a week.

_**Gotta be a record for you, huh Rin?**_

"Get lost!" she muttered through her tears.

* * *

**Sunday 25****th**** September 10:08am**

Sunlight broke through the window and landed on Squall's sleeping figure. He grimaced as the bright rays bore down on his face and rolled over to avoid the light.

"Oh… my head." He groaned into the mattress. "What did I do last night?"

Hangovers were the worse ailment known to man in Squall's eyes. It was his own fault for drinking so much that he was suffering right now. He needed some Solpadeine and a big drink of water.

He heard Rinoa's door shut and the sound of her small feet pattering down the stairs. His eyes shot open as the events from earlier that morning before sleep had claimed him, flooded his mind.

"Oh shit, I didn't?!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his bed. "Oh Hyne… I did…"

He felt like such a fool. It had hurt, really hurt to hear her say that to him. He had been so sure she liked him back. Of course she was too busy; judging by the times she leaves and comes home it was a miracle she managed to stay on her feet day in and day out. He was sure she spent all of her spare time either sleeping or studying.

She was kind, open and sincere. She worked hard in her studies, training to be a doctor was no walk in the park. It required a lot of ambition and painstaking effort to get into that field of work. He couldn't blame her for working so hard; she wanted this career so much. And she would sacrifice a normal teen experience to get there.

Well they could stay being friends he figured, might be a bit awkward after his confession but he was sure he'd get over it. Eventually…

"Who am I trying to kid here?" he said to himself, burying his face in his hands.

But the truth was that he didn't want her as a friend, his feelings were too strong to put up with acting all calm and collected around her, pretending that he hadn't fucked things up between them good and proper. Maybe he could change her mind; he could see it in her face that she liked him back. Ok she hadn't said it last night but he'd seen the way she looked at him.

It didn't make sense; she clearly liked him the way he did with her. Putting the issue of her future career aside, what was stopping her from saying yes? That job of hers seemed pretty demanding but she didn't work _all_ the time did she? She must have nights off sometimes? He'd be sure he could fit himself into her schedule if necessary.

He made up his mind; he'd try asking her out again, only this time he'd try to restrain himself. Make it seem like a night out between friends and he'd show her how fun he could be and see if it changed her mind. Worth a shot, if she still rebuffed him he'd back off. There was nothing worse than acting so keen that he'd scare her off for good.

He hated thinking this way, and he blamed Allison for this every time. He sounded so damn desperate but it was her fault he was like this now. Had she just been honest with him in the first place instead of going behind his back, then he would have gotten over it a lot faster. The thing with Alexa hadn't helped him at all either; all she'd done was encourage him to find someone else, someone who deserved him. And he strongly believed that Rinoa was that person.

He dressed himself in grey jogging bottoms and a snug fitting white shirt, slipped on his lounge shoes and headed down the stairs. He heard her fumbling around in the kitchen with a frying pan, smelling bacon being cooked. His stomach flipped at the scent. Another side effect of drinking too much; you become sensitive to strong smells and nausea sets in upon the contact with your nasal senses.

He pushed the door open and was met with her back facing him as she leaned over the cooker organising her breakfast. She had her hair twisted up into a hasty knot on the back of her head, soft wispy tendrils escaping around the hair bobble she had used. This morning she was wearing tight denim shorts and a black t-shirt; and he couldn't help his eyes as they became fixated on her backside.

"Good morning." She greeted, without turning around. "The kettle's just boiled; want me to make you a coffee?"

His head snapped up quickly as she reached to her right for a utensil she had out on the side. He saw the side of her face and a quickening started inside his chest again. Her eye caught him standing there behind her and she forced down the flush that threatened to cover her cheeks.

"You know, when someone says 'good morning', you're supposed to say something in reply." She said playfully as she stacked 4 thick pancakes on her plate and poured over some Maple syrup.

"Oh, uh sorry." He said, feeling stupid. "G-good morning."

She kept her back to him and assembled the bacon for her breakfast onto the plate next to the pancakes. "Much better. Now can I interest you in a coffee, and maybe make you something to eat? You look like you could eat a Chocobo."

She was offering to feed him? This was new, she'd not cooked him anything since he'd asked for her special dish the other week as payment for getting her out of her bad mood.

"Coffee please, I'm not sure I can handle anything solid right now." He said softly.

"Ok, the usual: white with one sugar?" she asked, reaching for the cupboard above her head. She pulled out two cups and sat them down beside the kettle. "It's good to eat when you're hung-over, you know? Why do you think I've filled my plate up so much?" she laughed.

He chuckled back. "It's not that full, I can still see room on there for more." He told her. She turned to face him, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Ha! If I put anything else on there then I won't fit into my clothes anymore." She gestured to the food. "This may be too much for me to eat as it is; sure I can't tempt you into eating some?"

_It's not the food I'm tempted by!_ He thought as she poured the water from the kettle into the cups to her left.

"No, it's ok, honestly. Thank you though." He said, sitting down at the table. He watched her lean into the fridge for the milk and pour it out into the black coffees. She brought his coffee over to him, with a small white package, a tea spoon and a large glass of water. He looked at her blankly.

"Thought you might need this, especially if your head is as bad as mine this morning." She indicated to the item next to the water. He flipped it over; it was a sachet of Resolve.

"Thanks." He said, ripping it open as she returned to the counter.

"It's ok, hopefully mine kicks in soon. I hate hangovers, don't you?" she said, fidgeting in the cutlery drawer. She brought over her coffee and her plate before sitting down opposite him at the table. She began eating her food quietly as he downed the glass of medicated water. It tasted revolting but the old saying was the worse it tasted, the better it would make you feel.

Besides the clock ticking away and the sound of the cutlery scraping the plate, there were no other noises in the kitchen. He regretted not taking up her offer of food; it was starting to smell really good. It was probably too late to say it now, he tried to focus on his drink but his stomach betrayed him… loudly.

Growwwwl!

_Dammit!_

Rinoa was sipping her coffee at that moment and choked on it as a huge giggle rose up her throat. His face went scarlet in embarrassment as she fought hard not to laugh out loud. She failed.

"Ahahaha!" she sniggered. "Ohhh, sorry. Um… you want some food now?" she said with a grin.

"If the offer still stands…" *growl* "Hyne this is embarrassing!" he put his head in his hands. She stood up and walked over to the cooker.

"No it's not; you're hungry, you can't be ashamed about that. I don't mind, I offered to make you something after all." She said with a giggle while grabbing the ingredients she had out on the side and started making up a plate. She poured out the batter onto the still hot frying pan and boosted up the gas hob to cook them through.

"So did you sleep well last night?" she asked, while keeping her back to him.

Truth be told, he hadn't slept all that great. The nightmares had returned and had kept him awake for several hours. But he couldn't come out and say that to her.

"Like a brick, how about you?"

She hesitated. She too, had not slept properly, the tears had lasted an hour and she had fidgeted in light slumber for the nest of the night. When she couldn't sleep any longer she'd slapped on makeup to cover it up.

"Y-yeah, pretty good." She said quietly.

Squall watched her intently as she flipped the pancakes in the frying pan. She had a lot of skill; she didn't even watch the flying food and it landed perfectly onto the plate nearby.

"Do you want bacon with yours too, or just syrup and butter?" she asked once she'd made and stacked half a dozen on the plate.

"Just the pancakes, I don't feel right using up all your food."

She turned to face him with the plate in her hand. "I'm going shopping this afternoon, so it would have been fine. Here."

He reached over and took the plate from her and she sat back down to finish her food. He felt bad; surely what was left had now gone cold. If it was, she wasn't saying so.

"Thank you, it looks great." He said taking a bite of a pancake saturated in maple syrup. It was thick, but light and fluffy at the same time. "Mmmm!" he moaned appreciatively. "Wow, these are really good!"

"Glad you like them." She finished her own plate, drained her cup of coffee and took them to the sink as he wolfed down his food. She filled up the sink and started washing up the dishes.

He finished his food in record timing, he hadn't thought he was that hungry before but his stomach had won the argument. It bubbled softly in contentment when he swallowed the last bite.

He watched her as she scrubbed the pans in the hot soapy water and got to his feet. Grabbing his plate and now empty cup he walked over to her. He reached his hand into the sink and pulled her wrist out of the water. She jumped suddenly at the contact.

"What are you doing?" she turned to look at him. He kept a calm expression on his face and nudged her sideways towards the draining board.

"Let me get those, you cooked so it's only fair that I clean them." He said, releasing his hold on her grudgingly.

Her face flushed brightly. "Er ok. If you want to."

She pulled her other hand out of the water and dried them on a tea towel as he continued where she left off scrubbing the frying pan.

She sat back down at the table and flexed her fingers absentmindedly.

_**How'd we go from friendly chat to this level of awkwardness? Now what do we say?**_

Squall focussed on the window as he cleaned the dishes. Ok, maybe that hadn't been a smart move; all he'd done was create tension in the room again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He muttered while his gaze focussed on the tree in the centre of the garden.

"I'm not… uncomfortable." She replied, fiddling with her hair as she stared at his back hunched over the sink. "Just not used to sharing chores, I always did my own. It's nice that you wanted to help."

"Comes with the territory of having a sibling I guess." He shrugged, rinsing off the last plate and drying his own fingers on the towel. "Elle and I always shared our chores at home."

"Must be nice, having a sister." She commented. "I always wanted someone to play with when I was a kid at home."

"Didn't you have cousins to play with?" he asked, sitting back at the table. "You didn't tell me much else about your family apart from your mom and dad."

She shook her head at him. "I do have twin boy cousins from my dad's sister but they weren't born until I was eleven, and they live in Centra; so I hardly ever see them. What about you?"

"Cousins? Er… at last count I had about… thirteen?" he guessed. "Mom's got two sisters and a brother and my dad has an older brother."

"Wow, that's a really big family! Family gatherings must have been fun."

He smiled. "Yeah, never a dull moment. The stories I could tell you!" he chuckled.

"Oh yeah, we've had some fun times with Squall's family!" Seifer announced as he strode into the kitchen. "Morning you two."

"Hey." Squall said with a grunt.

"Good morning Seifer." Rinoa greeted politely with a wave. "How is your head today?"

"Could be better, Puberty Boy here decided having a drinking contest was a good idea. What happened to you last night by the way? You just disappeared and missed all the fun."

She wouldn't tell the whole truth of her reasons for running out of the Wendigo.

"Ohhh, yeah, I went out for a cigarette and realised I had one left. I had to get my bike from work anyway so on the way back I went to the off license for some cigarettes because I had run out. Seemed pointless coming back after an hour so I headed off home."

"Makes sense." Seifer said clicking the kettle on to make himself a drink. "So what's your plan for today Squall? Gonna catch up on all the work you missed this last week before tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think I missed anything important. Nothing that I already didn't know anyway." He replied. Seifer shook his head.

"You really are a cocky bastard when it comes to school aren't you? It shouldn't surprise me." He laughed. "Oh hey Rinoa! Do you want to hear the news?"

"What would that be?" she asked the blonde man.

"Squall here has finally got himself a girlfriend. Told us last night."

"Seifer I didn't say that." Squall frowned.

"It's what I heard you say man, don't deny it."

"So… um… why are you telling me this Seifer? I mean, surely it's none of my business who Squall dates." Rinoa said casually, lighting up a cigarette. Seifer sparked up one of his own.

"Oh I thought you should know, in case he starts waking you up in the middle of the night." He replied with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Squall flushed bright red. "Seifer! Seriously, think before you speak!" he growled.

Rinoa laughed a bit. "It's ok Squall; I'm not offended by your friend here. You should hear the stuff my co-workers talk about." She looked at the clock on the wall with a grimace. "Shoot, I gotta head off out. I'll catch you both later, ok?"

"Yeah, see you late Rinoa." Seifer replied.

"Bye." Squall muttered.

She walked out of the kitchen with her cigarette in hand, leaving the two young men alone. Once her footsteps were heard going up the stairs Squall waited a total of thirty seconds before pouncing on Seifer.

"You prat! Why'd you have to say that in front of her?!" he demanded. Seifer shrugged and took a puff on his cigarette.

"What part? Besides I didn't think it would bother you so much. She's our housemate; surely she's entitled to know who comes into the house. Especially if she lives opposite your room."

He was so flustered he couldn't answer properly. Because of Seifer, Squall had missed his chance to put his new plan into action.

* * *

Rinoa got back to her room and changed her shorts for her jeans, her pumps for her protective boots and slicked on some pale pink gloss. Today she'd be doing a proper food shop so she had to be prepared. She already had a list written out with things she'd need, and enough cash for a taxi there and back. A necessary evil but it would save her going on her bike and wasting petrol every week.

It'd be more convenient if the supermarket had an online service set up- they'd been promising one for the last year and hadn't sorted it out. She'd go to Costco at the end of next month for bulk supplies of Red Bull, Rio and notebooks. She was sure she still had a case and a half of each drink left in the back of her wardrobe.

That had been so much fun to carry up the stairs after her last trip there, not! She had almost put her back out carrying 4 sets of 48 cans to her room last time. She jotted down an extra note to pick up a few packets of Pro Plus, midterms were coming up soon and she'd be pulling all-nighters for the exams soon. Fitting all the necessary studying around work hours was never easy, she was always so exhausted the week after they were finished that she would find herself taking power naps in the locker room before shifts started just so she perked up.

She was hardly an addict to the caffeine drinks and pills, but they were required to the point where outsiders would think she had a problem. Not that she cared about their thoughts; the hard work would pay off by graduation and she would no longer need the extra boosts to keep herself awake for 18-20 hours a day. The hospital she wanted to work for had quarters for the doctors and nurses to rest in between long shifts.

She smiled thinking of Esthar and her new life there. She could hardly wait, just under two years and she'll be shadowing the best doctors in the world, learning all the things Deling University was not going to cover, using the highly advanced hospital equipment that was only available in the technological city.

Tucking the list inside her jeans pocket she grabbed her purse and phone and threw her denim jacket on as she headed out of the door.

She was halfway down the stairs when she realised she had forgotten something vital.

"Damn! My keys!" she returned to her room and plucked them out of her biker leathers. Too often had she forgotten to get them; she liked her privacy and always locked her door. Living on a dorm with Selphie and Kat last year she'd learned the hard way about keeping her room locked up, they kept barging in while she was sitting at her laptop, reading books, doing assignments or even catching up on some much needed sleep. Eventually, after 2 months of harassment, she'd installed a bolt so they couldn't enter randomly and disturb her.

She walked back down the stairs and called a cab to take her to the supermarket.

"Hi I need a car for 32 Dollet Road? Deling DeliMart please. Ok five minutes, thanks a lot. Bye!"

She stepped out of the front door and hopped down the steps quickly, waiting by the front gate patiently for her ride. She head the front door slam shut and hurried footsteps approaching her.

"Wait up! Mind if I tag along?" Squall asked, puffing as he was out of breath.

"Do you need to get some supplies too?" she asked, turning to greet him.

"Yeah, Seifer just finished the last of the milk so I thought I'd pick some stuff up for dinner later too." He explained. "I was glad I caught you before you left, just had to dash upstairs for my wallet."

"Why didn't you ask him to drive you there? Doesn't he have a car of his own?" she asked, trying not to sound rude. "Doesn't it make more sense, seeing as he used up the last of the milk?"

"Yeah, but he's too hung-over to drive, not to mention Zell and Irvine will probably want drinks when they come down." He explained.

"Oh, I saw Zell when I came down to make breakfast, he said he was going to some boxing gym and went straight out." She told him and turned to look up the road for signs of the taxi's arrival.

"I see. I hope it's still ok to come with you?" he asked.

She bit her lip and frowned. How long does it take to get a cab in Deling? There were at least 200 taxi drivers out there each day! She didn't want to be standing out here forever; she wanted to get in and out of the supermarket within an hour.

Squall didn't hear her answer him and coughed to get her attention. She swivelled her head towards him.

"Hmm?"

"I'll help you carry your shopping?" he offered, still hoping to come with her. She then realised that she hadn't answered his last question.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a second there. You didn't need to use bribery tactics, I didn't say 'no' to you coming with me." She laughed at him.

He smiled back. "Thanks."

She made a mental note to sneak off to the feminine products aisle when he was getting his own groceries. No way would she pick up _those_ supplies with him walking around with her.

The car pulled up and she jumped in the passenger side while he climbed into the back seat.

"Deling DeliMart?" the driver asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah, thanks."

* * *

Deling DeliMart was adjacent to the shopping centre in the middle of Deling City. Don't let the name fool you, it was far from tiny; a massive 80 aisles filled with every grocery item you can imagine, from every corner of the world. It was the biggest supermarket in all of Galbadia.

Rinoa paid the fare for the cab and had climbed out of the passenger door while Squall struggled to release the catch on his seatbelt.

"I'll meet you inside." She called out, heading towards the trolley park next to the front entrance.

She found herself a trolley and threw a basket inside for Squall's shopping and entered the multilevel building. She bypassed the café near the entrance and threw in a box of washing powder that was advertised as being on special promotion along with two bottles of fabric softener at the front of the store.

The smell of freshly baked bread called out to her and she headed straight for the bakery section along the left hand side of the building.

"Hyne, is shopping some kind of sport to you?! You walk pretty fast!" Squall panted, catching up to her.

"It's called being efficient; have you never been in here on a Sunday?" she giggled, taking out the basket and handing it over to him. He gave her a strange glance as he hooked it over his arm.

"This is my first visit on a Sunday. What's so bad about it?" he asked, looking up and down the aisle.

"If you don't know then I'll let you learn the hard way. Just a friendly warning: I hope your shoes have steel caps." She laughed and strode past the shelves of bread loaves to the baked snacks.

Her mouth watered at the sight of hot flaky pastries sitting in a row before her. It wasn't on her list but she really fancied a cinnamon roll to indulge in with a coffee when she got home. The shiny, glazed treat filled with raisins and smothered in crisp icing looked so good! Temptation became too much for her and she used the plastic tongs to grab two of the naughty treats and shove them into a paper bag.

Squall followed suit, picking up a pair of cupcakes from the shelf next to the pastries.

"Awww, that's so cute!" she cooed. Squall looked at her confusedly.

"What? Never seen a guy buy cupcakes before?"

"Not pink frosted ones, no!" she spluttered into giggles. He looked at his selection and shrugged, shoving them into his basket. They had a peony pink buttercream topping with multi-coloured vermicelli sprinkles. Not the manliest of choices admittedly.

"So what? I like strawberry cupcakes; them being pink doesn't change that fact." He said defensively.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to slander your choice." She said sheepishly. "In my defence: I did say it was cute."

"Whatever." He muttered, his cheeks matching the cupcakes in his basket.

She pushed her trolley forward. "Hey, mind meeting me at the tills in say… twenty minutes? I think I can get all I need in that time."

_Did I just hear her right? This store is huge! She must be pulling my leg._

"You can get round this whole store in twenty minutes?" he asked incredulously. She smiled slyly at him.

"I did say I'm efficient. Do you want to have a race; see who gets to the tills, still in one piece, first?"

He smirked back. His list wasn't that big, he'd have his shopping done in half the time. "Heh, you're on. Sounds like a fun challenge."

She steadied herself against the handle of her trolley. "We'll see. Ready!" she started.

"Set!" he added.

"Go!" they both cried out, splitting off into the directions of the other aisles.

Rinoa knew the store inside and out, she may have more to collect but she took no shit from the other Sunday shoppers.

Squall on the other hand, was not expecting such viciousness as he reached out for his own shopping!

"That's mine!" an elderly gent slapped at him with his cane as he grabbed a four pint bottle of milk from the fridges.

"I saw it first!" a stressed out mother yelled at him as he reached for the last remaining lasagne ready meal on the shelf.

He was bashed into by kids messing around in the trolleys, alongside other elderly citizens running over his trainers without so much as an apology, shoved out of the way when he attempted to grab items off the shelves. He wasn't the only one suffering; everyone here had an attitude of some kind. It was like a warzone in here!

Rinoa was standing by the tills when he finally managed to escape the crowds from the last aisle. She checked the time on her watch.

"Thirty three minutes, not bad." She said, taking in his dishevelled appearance. "You look like you had a ball." She sniggered.

"Never again will I come into this… this hell hole on a Sunday!" he exclaimed, dragging his heavy basket over to the till opposite hers. "You could have warned me!"

"I did remember?" she grinned, sliding her purchases onto the conveyer belt.

"No, you just said 'I hope your shoes have steel toes'- that was not a warning!" he retorted, bending down to rub his aching feet. "Do you have any idea how many people ran my feet over with their trollies? I lost count past the first twenty!"

She laughed at him as the cashier started scanning through her items. "I'm so used to the traffic in here I always aim to get in and out quickly whenever I come in on a Sunday. The way people shop in here at weekends would have you think they were starring in Doomsday Preppers."

"I always thought the people on that show were crazy." He said, watching his own cashier putting his groceries through the till.

"They have their reasons; I for one, think it is a very interesting and entertaining program. Shall we brave the queue at the café to have a coffee or are you ready to head back home now? I can call a cab if you like?" she asked brandishing her purse to pay for her shopping.

He handed over his own money and grabbed the shopping bags at the end of the conveyer belt. "I think my feet have been broken enough for one day thanks." He indicated towards the masses of customers waiting around for a table. Rinoa slung her bags back into the trolley and pushed it towards the door.

"Ok, I'll call the cab firm then. You're no fun." She chuckled. He walked alongside her.

"Shopping is not meant to be fun."

"It is to a girl, especially when clothes are involved." She replied with a smile.

Squall thought for a second. So she thought he wasn't fun, huh? Perhaps he should say it now.

"If you want to see fun, maybe we should hang out one night." He said casually.

"Well I work nights, so that idea's out." She told him.

"When's your night off?" he asked. "You don't expect me to believe you work every single night?"

"Er no I have time off. Hang on… let me see." She whipped out her phone and opened up the calendar. "Hmmm, looks like I'm off on Saturday..."

_**Damn, I forgot Boss had me on the rota for a Saturday early because Courtney has that wedding to go to on my scheduled one off. I really wanted to work that night too!**_

"And are you going to be busy that night?" he enquired, noting she had gone quiet again. she looked up at him.

"Seems likely. I have three assignments due in the following week, I will probably spend Saturday working on them." she explained and walked through the automatic doors. She exited the calendar and started dialling in the taxi number.

He lit up a cigarette and watched her as she made the booking with the cab firm.

"So how about it then?" he asked as she hung up the phone.

"Huh?"

"How about we go out next Saturday?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows behind her glasses.

_**He is a glutton for punishment! This will be twice in a day!**_

"Squall…" she started. "I thought I said that I didn't-"

"I know, I know!" he said softly, putting his hand up to stop her speaking further. "But you didn't say we couldn't go out as _friends_. This is a friend asking his friend to go out for a fun night. Is that a problem?"

_**Friends… that's ok right? But… but what if…? No! Stop these thoughts Rinoa!**_

"No… but these assignments are quite difficult, it could take me hours to do just one." She explained as she lifted four carrier bags out of the trolley and set them down on the floor.

"So, do them Saturday daytime, and keep yourself free for the evening. You work too hard Rinoa; can't you have one night off to have fun instead of studying?"

"I can't just slack off though." She brought out another six bags and placed them onto the floor next to the now empty trolley.

"I'm not suggesting you do. I'm saying; spend Saturday doing all the work you need for school, and then come out to have fun with a friend. What are you afraid of?"

She gripped the handle of the trolley. "I'm not afraid of anything!" she said, her cheeks tinting pink.

"So…?" he pressed. "Will you come out on Saturday then?"

"Ok, fine. But I would like to stress that it is not a date, ok?" she said firmly. "I'm only doing this to stop you nagging."

Squall smiled as the cab pulled up to the kerb. "Fine by me."

* * *

**Author's Note II:** I know that is not what you expected… well maybe some of you saw it coming a mile off anyway!

**Chapter Fourteen: And It Starts:** Squall and Rinoa discuss where they should go and Squall suggests the go to a night club. Rinoa is happy with the idea of going dancing and goes out shopping for something to wear. And then comes the big night!


	14. Chapter 14

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Copyright Disclaimer**: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity.

**Author's Note: **You may be thinking that I'm super fast at writing but the truth is thatI've been working on this chapter since I wrote chapter 5! I did warn you all that I was doing random chapters, and since my story plot line turned into 30 pages of plots and lots of dialogue and descriptions I felt like I had to start on several future chapters. Enjoy this one, there is more to come!

**Last Chapter**

She gripped the handle of the trolley. "I'm not afraid of anything!" she said, her cheeks tinting pink.

"So…?" he pressed. "Will you come out on Saturday then?"

"Ok, fine. But I would like to stress that it is not a date, ok?" she said firmly. "I'm only doing this to stop you nagging."

Squall smiled as the cab pulled up to the kerb. "Fine by me."

**Warnings: This fanfiction IS rated "M" just in case you missed it! Contains adult themes and a lot of STRONG language. Rinoa's thoughts are in **_**bold italics**_** and Squall's are in **_regular italics_**. **

**Chapter Fourteen: And It Starts**

They climbed out of the cab and began carrying the shopping bags up the stairs to the front of the house. Squall, as promised, carried half of her bags while she filled her hands with the others and brought out her keys to let them in.

"Thanks for helping me with my stuff Squall, I appreciate it." She said, striding into the kitchen with her bags. He followed her and set down the ones in his hands onto the table.

"No problem, I did say I'd carry them for you after all. It's the least I could do for you letting me share your cab."

"Oh I didn't mind really, you were fantastic amusement in the supermarket, that made up for it." She giggled as he rolled his eyes.

"Hmm, I'm not sure seeing someone who was trampled by Sunday shoppers is my kind of fun but whatever."

"Shall I stick the kettle on then?" she asked, removing her jacket and hanging it over the back of one of the chairs.

"Yes please. I'll make the drinks after we get this lot put away." He indicated to the dozen bags surrounding them.

She crouched down; reached into one of the bags she had placed on the floor and began removing items, placing them onto the counter above her head. Squall hoisted the box of washing powder off the floor and juggled the bottles of fabric softener into his arms.

"Rinoa, should I put these in the utility room?" he asked. She popped her head up over the table.

"Oh yeah, just leave them on top of the dryer, I'll put them away later." She said, returning to her position on the floor.

_**I will **__die __**if he finds the bag with my pads in! I need to keep him in his own bags!**_

She watched him walk down the stairs into the basement. It had been converted into a utility room, complete with 2 top of the range washing machines, 2 dryers and 3 clothes horses. There was even a standing freezer and a pool table down there. The owners of the property certainly had spared no expenses to accommodate students; it would explain why the rent was so much!

Once he was out of sight, she frantically searched through the bags for her toiletries. Once she found them, she tied a knot in the handles and left them by the door, to take them upstairs later.

He came back up the stairs and reached for a bag on the table. She popped her head back up again, startling him.

"Thanks for this Squall, but you don't need to help me with my stuff too. Just focus on your own. It's easier for me to do my own; I know where it all goes."

"I only have a few bags, more hands makes less work and all that."

She shook her head, resting her chin on the table.

"No, no it's ok. I can do my own sorting thanks. If you want something to do, why don't you make the drinks?" she suggested.

"Ok then. Do you want tea or coffee?" he walked around the table and stood beside her as she crouched on the floor with her cupboard open next to his legs. She looked at his standing profile beside her over the top of the door and felt her cheeks flame up again. He had a really nice body, there was no denying that. She couldn't help but remember the time she saw him clad in only a towel fresh from the shower. Her mouth watered at the memory.

Why had she turned him down again?

"Rinoa? Tea or coffee?" he asked again and she quickly turned her gaze back into the contents of her shopping bags.

"Oh, um, coffee please, same as yours." She said, focussing on the Tetris game she had going on with her groceries. They worked in silence for several minutes.

"So where do you want to go next weekend?" he asked as she scrunched up the last carrier bag and stood up.

"Er, I don't know." She shrugged. "There's nothing on at the cinema that I fancy watching… what about you? Is there anywhere in particular you have in mind?"

_The cinema isn't my idea of a fun night out, not unless we were a couple… Hmm… where could we go… aha!_

"We could go to Loveless and go dancing?" he suggested. He saw a sparkle in her eyes.

"Dancing?" she asked slowly, a smile creeping up the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"I love dancing!" she said enthusiastically. He smiled back at her.

"Wonderful."

* * *

**Saturday 1****st**** October 3:39pm**

Rinoa had strolled around Deling City's shopping centre for over three hours now and she was still empty handed. She'd been in all her favourite stores, looking for something new to wear out tonight.

She had plenty of clothes she could have worn but she had received a lovely, unexpected rebate in her wages yesterday and thought she would spend some of it on a lovely new outfit. She felt like being rather flush today, but nothing had caught her eye as she'd browsed through the stores.

She stopped by the café near the book shop and ordered an iced tea to drink. It was very warm inside the shopping centre today, summer was supposed to have ended by now but the warm sun rays were still beaming down from the sky. She sat outside, letting the gentle breeze flowing around Deling to cool her down.

She knuckled her forehead, sipping her drink through a straw. Where else was there that she could go to find something new to wear?

Thankfully she had spent all week working on her assignments for school. Though it hadn't been peaceful and quiet; Squall had been playing a lot of heavy amplified tunes each night he was home. There was one particular tune that he favoured above the others; she lost count of how many times he played it in a night. In the end she'd shoved her earphones in to drown out the sounds of his music and focus on her work.

The thought of studying versus the chance to visit Loveless for the first time in 3 months had incensed her to get the work done quickly. It gave her enough time today to sort out her room and get her laundry done too. And that was when she'd looked through her clothes and realised she wanted something different to wear.

She had dresses, pants, skirt and tops in her collection but none of them had screamed out at her as she pushed them across the rails in her wardrobe. The same was said for the clothes stores she'd been inside. Nothing looked right on her when she tried the items on, she had been glad to get back into her biker leathers. It had been such a relief that she always tried clothes on instead of making an impulse buy. She lived by that mantra when it came to dressing herself.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a group of girls walking into a store across the road. The sign was black and silver, reading out the name: "Lenne's" scripted in calligraphy. She hadn't noticed that place before.

She finished her drink and walked over to the store front. It was promoting a designer opening up their eighth shop. Lenne was a well-known name on Esthar's catwalk, a singer/songwriter/model and now a designer.

She stepped inside the building and was taken in by the flashes of colourful outfits lining the walls and shelves around her. Soft music was playing in the background and the line for the dressing rooms was already huge.

She flicked through the rails and racks, looking for anything that would jump out and scream at her. She saw a black pleated skirt which she thought would be good for work and picked it up. It had the look of black denim, but felt like cotton; the waistband was stretchy at the back and had hidden pockets in the sides.

Then she saw something blue being hung up onto a mannequin and stepped forward towards the shop assistant.

"Where can I find that in here?" she asked. The girl looked her up and down and smirked.

"This is the only one we have in stock. Lenne has some one-off pieces that she wanted in the display windows."

"I'll want to try it on." Rinoa said, longing to reach out and snatch it out of the girl's fingers. The assistant sighed and handed it over to her.

"Dressing room's over there." She pointed towards the queue on the other side of the store.

Rinoa scurried over to the line of girls; most of their arms were filled with garments.

"I wish I could buy all of these!" one girl standing in front of Rinoa gushed, her arms filled to capacity with several outfits. "But I can only afford one outfit; I need to see which one I like the best on me."

"I know right? This store is soo expensive but you know the quality is spot on!" the girl next to her piped up, with many hangers dangling from her hands.

The line disappeared quickly and soon it was Rinoa's turn to use one of the 8 cubicles the store had available for trying on the clothes. She stood in front of the mirror admiring the piece she had on. She pulled the skirt up her legs and smiled. This was what she wanted to buy.

Changing back into her own clothes fast she strode from the changing room and headed straight for the tills.

"I'll take it." She said to the assistant who had been dressing the mannequin. "And this skirt too."

The girl rang it through the till grudgingly. "That will be 200 Gil please."

Rinoa blanched. 200 Gil?! For a top and a skirt? Did she want to pay that much?

"If you can't afford it…" the assistant said loudly, causing several customers to stare in their direction.

"No! I can!" Rinoa exclaimed, fingering the soft material longingly. It was worth the price!

She put her chin up defiantly and looked at the accessories behind the counter. "I'll take a pair of those too." She pointed at an item hanging behind the shop girl's head and slammed down her bank card onto the counter. "The blue ones." She said firmly.

* * *

**8:35pm**

Squall sat on the edge of his bed, his knees shaking uncontrollably. He'd asked a girl out for the first time in over 3 years. Well, she'd turned him down the first time he'd asked so it was technically the second time. And yeah ok, it wasn't a _date_ date, but he'd still asked her and she'd said yes, well, after a bit of persuasion anyway.

Seifer, Zell and Irvine had given him the low down earlier that afternoon, it had seemed alien to him, being in a girl's company after all this time. Compliment your date- even if it isn't a real date, it could turn into one so show her that you're interested. See to it that she is comfortable at all times, so don't do anything foolish to scare her off; do not let her buy her own drinks, but if she offers to go halves on anything, then accept it once; pick her up from hers and take her to the destination and make damn well sure you get her back to her place, no letting her go off on her own in a cab even if you decide not to see her again!

The only thing he hadn't told them was who she really was; they'd have raised their eyebrows and tried to talk him out of it. He could hear the conversation in his mind already:

"Are you freaking nuts?! Because she lives with us then what'll happen if it doesn't work out? Could you look her in the eye again? Why couldn't you pick someone who you wouldn't have to see every day if the shit hit the fan?"

His mind was spinning as he tied his ankle boots up. He knew the dress code at Loveless was strict; no tracksuits, trainers or jeans were allowed. He'd grabbed his black suit trousers and shoved them on, they were a bit tight around his butt, the only other pair he owned which weren't denim or sportswear were his leather pants and there was no way he'd be wearing them to the club, they looked great on him but they restricted his movement which was no good if he'd be dancing all night. He threw on a tight fit black short sleeved shirt and grabbed his wallet from his bedside table. His eyes looked to the single white rose he'd bought that afternoon on a whim.

They'd laughed at his question about getting her flowers or something- that is too old fashioned, nobody does that sort of thing anymore. Besides, they weren't going out to dinner or anything, they were going dancing, where would she put the damn things, did he expect her to carry them round with her all night?

Allison had always loved it when he gave her flowers, especially if he went over the top and brought a bouquet he could hardly get through the door. He reminded himself that Rinoa was nothing like Allison, she may not be into flowers the same way.

It was a magnificent flower, full blossom, thorns had been delicately removed and a simple blue satin ribbon was tied into a bow halfway up the long narrow stem. It wasn't anything extravagant, and he'd liked the idea of giving it to her. He stroked the soft petals, deliberating whether or not to offer it to her as a gift.

He leaves it on his desk, realising she may see his attempt to change the game before it started. She wasn't the type to allow that sort of thing happen. She was stubborn, a lot like him. Reaching for his hair gel next to the rose, he runs the gooey substance through his chestnut coloured locks, spiking his bangs down across his eyes, fluffing the back of his hairline up slightly.

Taking one final look in the mirror, he walks out of his room without his jacket. He wouldn't be needing it tonight, autumn was just starting, and it was still just warm enough to go without. He looks to Rinoa's door, and knocks on the hard beech wood.

* * *

Rinoa scolded herself as she looked into the mirror; she was almost ready to leave. She just had to drag a brush through her hair, but she had a nasty feeling building up in her mind. She knew she'd gone over the top with her outfit, sure it had looked so nice on her in the store, but she'd told herself that tonight wasn't a date and she shouldn't have dressed up like it was one. But then again; why shouldn't she dress up a bit? She hardly ever went out anymore but still…

"What am I thinking? Why did I even say yes, and why did I decide to buy _this_?! He's going to get the wrong idea, I just know it!" she hissed.

She hears a knock on her door and stays quiet.

"Rinoa? It's Squall, are you ready to go yet?"

She needed more time to think, she feels so nervous. Instead of answering she throws her bathrobe on and shoves her ebony tresses into a towel. She walks to the door and opens it slightly, just enough for him to see her face.

"Ohhh, hi. I'm not quite ready to go just yet… Err… I could be a while longer. How about you go on ahead and I'll meet you there later, ok?"

"Nah, don't be silly, I'll wait in the lounge for you to finish up."

Shit, she hadn't counted on that, she was hoping he'd go on ahead and then she could just not show up. If he asked her tomorrow where she was, she'd lie and say she hadn't been able to find him. The club was a huge place; it was easy to lose a person in there.

"No, no it's ok, I can get there myself, there's no point in keeping you waiting around."

"There's no point in me going on ahead if you'll be coming shortly after, so stop being difficult. I'll be downstairs, just give me a shout when you're ready to go and I'll call a cab." He said as he headed for the stairs.

"Squall! Wait!" she finds herself saying. He turns to her, his foot halfway to touching the second step.

"G-give me ten minutes, I'll be down soon, ok?"

She closed the door without hearing his reply, leaned against it and face-palmed.

Dammit, if she couldn't convince him to go on first then she had no choice. It was her own fault for saying yes in the first place really. She could have said no a lot more, but he'd persisted; his eyes captivated her and broke down her wall. She'd agreed to go with him and she had no chance of getting out of it. But she was sure she'd made the arrangement on her terms though, she'd been clear with him that she didn't date.

She pulled off her robe and smoothed down her outfit, brushing out any creases that appeared when she shoved on the dressing gown. She yanked the towel from her head and brushed her hair firmly, making sure she did it extra hard when she came across a knot; as punishment for being so spineless.

"I'm such an *ow* idiot…"

* * *

Squall reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room. It was not a place everyone tended to use, not that it wasn't a nice room, but the kitchen was the main place of congregation in every place he had been to. The walls were covered in a cream and red patterned wallpaper, the carpet was soft, thick and fluffy in various shades of red, almost like a crimson river. The two 3-seater sofas co-ordinated with the obvious colour scheme; made of cream fabric and had four red throw pillows scattered across the back with matching red throw blankets hanging over the arms of the chair.

There was a TV in there too, on a pine wood cabinet, which was gathering dust since everyone had their own televisions in their rooms. He sits on one of the plush sofas, it's quite comfortable actually. If he ever got too tired to climb the stairs after a night out he could always fall asleep in here.

The clock above the electric fireplace ticks slowly, the sound soothing to his ears. He glances at the time; it's almost nine o'clock. Loveless would be opening soon and if you weren't there before half past then your chances at entering that night were very slim. Weekends were always packed; the DJ often played remixed tunes from the last 10 years which were popular with the student body. That and the new releases everyone adored so much.

He flips out his phone and fiddles with the buttons absentmindedly. What was he supposed to do? He should call for a cab, so he dials a number and makes the booking.

He hears footsteps coming down the stairs and stands up quickly, a giddy feeling rushing through him like a wave. He walks out of the room and his eyes focus on the stairs. His heart freezes in his chest as he looks up to see Rinoa walking the last set of stairs.

_WHOA! Oh my Hyne! Wow!_

She was wearing a low cut navy blue top that stopped at her midriff in a triangle with white frills enveloping the plunge neck to her shoulders and baby blue frills cascading down her left hip to touch her knee, matching blue frilled arm warmers which had thin black straps crisscrossed halfway up her biceps, a pleated black miniskirt which left little if anything to the imagination, and a tiny, unnecessary powder blue belt unlooped and hanging off her hips. She wore a pair of mid-heeled stilettos which showed off the curves of her legs. Her raven hair was left down, her makeup was minimal, but he wasn't focussing on those aspects. She looked completely stunning.

"Is this… too much?" she asked, noting the look on his face as she reached the last two steps. He didn't answer so she took his hanging mouth and wide eyes as a yes.

**_I guess I'll have to put something else on, he doesn't look too thrilled with what I'm wearing._**

She sighed. "It is, isn't it? I'll go change into something else if you want. I'll be back in two min-"

"No!" he almost shouted. She blinked at him in surprise. "I… I mean, you look… Don't change a damn thing." He stammers, unable to vocalise coherently.

_**Oh! Perhaps not.**_

She blushes. "Thanks, er… have you called for a cab yet?"

"Yes, it's on its way, shouldn't be more than five minutes or so." He tells her quickly, trying to restrain himself from dragging her into the den and barricading the door. He was turning into a pervert again and he hated it!

She gives him a strange look. "Is something wrong? You seem kind of edgy."

A sharp horn blows outside. The cab had arrived. He shakes his head and turns towards the front door quickly. Her eyes open wide in realisation and she mentally kicked herself for putting the damn outfit on now; he was _so_ getting the wrong idea.

"Squall, look at me." She tells him firmly. He glances over his shoulder, his hand on the door knob mid turn.

"We're just friends right? You don't need to act funny around me, ok?"

The words hit him like a dagger in his chest. Friends… How could she_ say_ that to him while looking like _that_? She'd specified it wasn't a date but damn! She certainly knew how to give out mixed messages!

He nods the tiniest bit and pulls the door open. They climb in the back of the taxi; the atmosphere is tense between them on the journey. He keeps taking sly glances at her profile on the seat beside him. The outfit she had on accentuated her slim figure and the curves of her breasts. That damned skirt of hers was higher than any skirt he'd ever seen a girl wear, even the one Alexa had worn that fated night hadn't seemed this short! He looked at the rear view mirror on the windscreen and wondered if he had been in the driver's seat, would he be able to see what colour panties she had on underneath…

He mentally smacked himself for even thinking that; how sick was he! He thought about what she had just said inside the house, she couldn't possibly have been serious, could she? The effect she was having on him was surreal.

Rinoa fiddled with the hem of her tiny skirt absentmindedly.

_**This is so **_**awkward**_**… I can cut through the tension in the back of this cab with a knife! Maybe I shouldn't have come after all… Hey, wait a minute! Just because this isn't a date doesn't mean I have to worry about what he's thinking all night; I'm going to have a good time whether I want to be here or not!**_

She turns her head and looks at his face; he looked like he was having a difficult time trying to say something. Her hand slides from her lap and grasps his. He looks back at her and she smiles.

"Are we ok?" she asked softly, giving his palm a comforting squeeze. He smiles back.

"When weren't we ok?"

"You are very difficult to read you know? I wasn't sure if you were thinking about backing out on going to the club. You looked kinda spaced out just now."

"Yeah, sorry, I was away with the faeries."

_Yeah, away with these damn hentai faeries hell bent on making me lose control! _

"That happens a lot with you, doesn't it?" she teased with a smile.

_Yes, dammit, and it doesn't help when you're dressed that way either!_

He grunted instead of answering.

The taxi pulls up outside the club. As expected there is a horrendous queue leading from the front door. Rinoa slides the driver the money before Squall could pay, then opens her door and as she climbs out; Squall gets his answer to what colour panties she had on, her skirt rides up slightly as she pushes herself from the seat. His hands clench in his lap.

_Holy freaking Hyne, this isn't fair! _He screamed in his mind as he got out of his side of the car.

He looked at the long queue and wondered if they would actually get in there tonight. He didn't have to worry for long, he saw Rinoa with a bouncer. She had her arm around the guy's neck, whispering into his ear. The guy grinned at her and lifted the velvet rope in front of the door. She turned to Squall and waved him over.

"C'mon then!"

**Author's Note II:** Leaving it here, I know it is very short compared to what I have posted already. My word, this story is going to be more than the 30 chapters I expected! The next… four are all linked to this one chapter in succession. Ok that didn't make sense, so it's less confusing, the following four chapters are all based on this one night, it'd be more pages than I'd ever want to post on here, probably about 50 ish… that's too much and I'm not sure I'd be allowed to put that much text up in one go! Don't forget to review!

I am so happy I had the start of the big stuff posted in time for my birthday tomorrow (21st March) and to have an extra chapter up that I hadn't planned on getting up just yet; well I am very proud of myself!

**Chapter 15: Loved up at Loveless:** What started as a fun night out between the pair turns sour.


	15. Chapter 15

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**I've been working on this chapter since I wrote chapter 5! I did warn you all that I was doing random chapters, and since my story plot line turned into 30 pages of plots and lots of dialogue and descriptions I felt like I had to start on several future chapters. Enjoy this one, there is more to come!**

**Last Chapter**

_Holy freaking Hyne, this isn't fair! _He screamed in his mind as he got out of his side of the car.

He looked at the long queue and wondered if they would actually get in there tonight. He didn't have to worry for long, he saw Rinoa with a bouncer. She had her arm around the guy's neck, whispering into his ear. The guy grinned at her and lifted the velvet rope in front of the door. She turned to Squall and waved him over.

"C'mon then!"

**Warnings: This fanfiction IS rated "M" just in case you missed it! Contains adult themes and a lot of STRONG language. Rinoa's thoughts are in **_**bold italics**_** and Squall's are in **_regular italics_**. Some lines from songs used will be in quoted '**_italics'_**- please note: I am NOT using the full lyrics, ok? Only some small choice lines from the songs are being mentioned to create the atmosphere.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Loved up at Loveless**

Loveless was a multi-story nightclub, it had three upper levels. The base floor was the reception, cloak room, and mini casino. It also had lots of payphones with taxi numbers stuck to the walls.

"How did you do that? Why'd he let us in ahead of everyone else?" Squall asked, feeling the angry eyes of waiting entrants stabbing him in the back. Rinoa laughed at him as she fidgeted with her skirt pockets looking for her money.

"He owes me a couple of favours, instant access to the club no matter how busy it is first and foremost." She replied casually and turned to the girl manning the entry desk. "Two please!" she handed over the entrance fee faster than Squall could whip out his wallet.

She walked towards the stairs and he ran after her.

"Hey! You didn't need to pay for me to get in! I can pay for myself you know! You already paid for the cab Rinoa."

She laughed again as she started climbing the stairs. "Ok, I'm sorry. Tell you what; you can get the first round in if you like."

He sighed in defeat. "Ok, fine. What do you want? I'll head up to the bar."

She hears the rumble of a VengaBoys tune bouncing through the gap in the double doors to the dance floor.

"If it's ok with you, I wanna go and dance first. By all means head up and grab yourself a drink, I'll meet you on the dance floor in a bit, ok?"

She sashayed up the stairs to the first floor. His eyes focussed on her skirt again, her pure white panties could be seen from her position 8 steps ahead of him.

_Dammit, this really isn't fair! I need that drink now!_

He watches her head through the doors and looks to the second staircase. The first floor was open for all the teenagers to late twenties, the second floor was the bar area which overlooked the first floor, complete with stools, love seats and tables for those who only wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and a set of stairs leading down to the first, and the top floor was normally used for private functions. Tonight seemed to be no exception; a crowd of people were celebrating up there.

He leans over the crowded bar, waiting for someone to serve him. He needed to calm down, if he got too eager then he'd scare her off; date or not he had to show some self-control.

He catches the eye of one of the bar staff and beckons him over. Over the loud drum of the music he orders a beer and walks to the balcony above the dance floor. He looks down trying to find her in the throng of students already congregated beneath his feet. He spots her quite quickly and he grips the neck of his beer bottle.

'_That's when I see you, with loving arms to fall into.'_

She was in the very middle of the 'mosh pit', dancing and a large male clubber suddenly came up behind her. He was leaning against her back with his hands on her hips as she gyrated them from side to side, her hands above her head punching the air. The guy dripped with what Squall could only describe as "animal magnetism", tall, well built with a lot of muscle, dark hair, dressed in expensive looking clothes, a thick and heavy gold chain hanging from his neck. He looked to be a few years older, and she didn't seem too bothered by the close contact either.

He feels a bitter sting of jealousy rise up inside him as he watches the man moving his body in rhythm with hers. Is this the sort of guy she was into? He knew he wasn't equipped with serious muscles like the guy below but he worked out when he had the chance. And he knew that he definitely had more money than anyone else here to throw around if he felt so inclined but he didn't want to show off. Somehow he didn't think she would be all that impressed if he waved his wallet in her face.

His eyes stay locked onto Rinoa's dancing form as she swung her body from side to side fluidly, like it was second nature to her.

'_You know my freedom is what I'm thinking of and I ain't got the time now baby.'_

He can't help but notice the way she moves as she dances- her style is so much like Alexa's. But he shakes his head, reminding himself that they are two different people, that Alexa was most likely working tonight. He'd never seen her have a weekend night off since he'd started going there. He knew now that she was forever out of his reach and would never set foot in Angels' again.

But the way Rinoa was dancing… it had him feeling the same way Alexa had. He felt drawn to her, he wanted to touch her face, look into her eyes and kiss her. He tells himself that he needs to hold himself back, but at the same time is watching for signs that she would accept him. She'd said she didn't have time to date, but here she was, on a night out with him. Date or not, it had to mean something, didn't it?

He knew it was his plan to show her tonight that he was good company and convince her that he was worth breaking her no dating policy, but she was giving off the impression that she wanted that too. She came here with him and then runs off and dances with another guys so blatantly in front of him, did she want him to come over all hot and heavy to remind her who she was with?

'_Kiss me, when the sun don't shine. Kiss me, when the sun don't shiiine.'_

The situation below gets out of hand as the guy she dances with leans in and whispers something into her ear, his hand sneaking up her tiny skirt. Squall notes the look of shock and anger on her face, and the guy's other hand grasps her arm so she can't get away. She pushes at him but his hands stay firmly in place. He sees her eyes narrow as her mouth formed the words: 'Get the fuck off me', but the guy doesn't release her. Instead he leaned into her face and pushed his mouth over hers. She slapped at his head but he grasped her other hand and pulled her in closer.

Squall drops his beer to the ground, smashing it on the bar floor. He didn't care that he'd hardly had any of it; she was in trouble, he needed to step in and help her out. The way he was feeling; the guy was cruising for a fist in his face, and he would gladly bring his down on the cocky bastard.

_Rinoa! I'm on my way!_

He runs down to the dance floor level, and arrives at the bottom of the stairs to see her grasping the guy's shoulders as her knee connects sharply with his crotch. He staggers, almost falling on top of her. She then thrust the heel of her hand up to his face, breaking his nose in one fell swoop, causing him to stagger backwards. And for the finale, she spun around karate style and kicked him in the chest with the ball of her foot, sending him flying several feet across the dance floor crashing him into a group of dancers. The guy hits the floor in record timing. Squall is stunned at how well she had defended herself, and even more amazed that she could have easily done it to him weeks ago in the kitchen and hadn't.

"I warned you to get your hands off me…"she sighed heavily, clenching her fists at her sides. "You should have listened." She mumbled.

He pulled her to the side of the dance floor, leaving her would-be assailant clutching himself on the ground as other clubbers carried on with their dancing.

"Holy shit, are you alright?" he asked. She shrugs nonchalantly as she stared at the vending machine behind him. The big neon sign flashing on it stated the word "SHOOTERS".

_**I could do with a drink about now. That stupid fucker, I gave him a chance to stop and he shoved his slimy tongue down my throat!**_

"Yeah, I'm ok. This happens every time I come here. I was kind of expecting something like this to go down tonight."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. So this was common protocol for her when she came here? If she'd warned him in advance he wouldn't have let her onto the floor by herself.

"Let's go and get a drink, come with me." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up the stairs. He orders two beers with double shots of vodka and gives one of each to her. They sat down at a table overlooking the dance floor. Their beers were drunk in silence. After a few minutes he couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"This is my fault; I shouldn't have gone up to the bar. I left you wide open for perverts to come onto you. I should have been here to protect you!"

_**That's really sweet of him to say; but I can look after myself. I've always managed fine on my own.**_

She had liked the way he said it, but the old saying 'give them an inch and they'll take a mile' sprung to mind. She shook her head and patted his shoulder gently, almost in a patronising way.

"That's really sweet of you but honestly, I am used to it and know how to handle creeps like that. I hardly need to depend on someone else to protect me when I am capable of doing it myself. What, would you have been brave enough to take him on? He could've flattened you if you'd tried interfering."

"Yeah, but I'd have done it defending you though!"

She rolled her eyes at him. He hated it when people did that, even though he tended to do it himself, it was most unbecoming to see a girl do it.

"Yeah… and I'd have been carrying you to the emergency room by now. Would it have been worth it?" she asked. He looked at her thickly fringed Bambi eyes and trailed down her lithe figure as she sat atop the tall barstool.

_Maybe if you showed me some TLC after it'd be worth it tenfold!_

"But what about you though? What if he'd gotten nasty with you?" he retorted. She gave a small laugh.

"Squall, he wouldn't have been able to touch me. Would _you_ be able to react if I did that to you?"

He deliberated. He'd had it done to him once; it had been a total accident but the force had knocked him for six, at the time he had thought he was going to be sick and he'd been in agony for the rest of the day. He shuddered at the memory.

"Probably not right away, but I'd still be majorly pissed off." he admitted. "But what'll stop him coming back to harass you again?"

Rinoa hated all these questions he was throwing at her. She was ok; she had dealt with it… so why couldn't he just let it lie?

"He won't. I can guarantee he will leave me alone for the rest of the night. Something tells me he isn't stupid enough come back for seconds. And if he does return, then I'll cripple him again. Simple. Can we drop it now?"

Squall was getting frustrated with her. "It's not worth the risk! I mean it Rinoa; you can't go round doing things like that, it's not safe to say you can protect yourself in any circumstance. You could get hurt, can't you see the sense in that!"

She sighed angrily and downed her vodka in one gulp. She slammed the glass onto the table forcibly.

"Look, just drop it alright, because we're going round in circles. I'm OK!" She hissed at him. "I don't need to hear how helpless I supposedly am, when it is _very_ clear that I can look after myself. My Hyne Squall! You're supposed to be my friend, and you're acting just like my father!"

"Rinoa!" he exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Forget it! I don't need to sit here and put up with this interrogation and I certainly don't _need_ protecting ok?! I'm going back out there to dance; it's why I was dragged here in the first place!"

She gets to her feet and stalks off down the stairs towards the dance floor. Squall gulps his vodka quickly, shuddering. Why did he get a double shot again? He follows her, hot on her heels.

"Wait! Rinoa, stop walking off on me!" His hand reaches for hers and grasps onto her fingers. She spun round so fast it had him worried she would roundhouse kick him like she had the other guy.

"What?! I thought I said to drop it, the conversation is over. _Finite_." She added heavily.

"No, no you made your point perfectly clear. I wanted to say I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pushed you about that guy. I was wrong; you can take care of yourself just fine. I just… I just wanted you to know that I'd be there for you if you couldn't…"

"If I say that I forgive you will you shut the fuck up and dance already?" she interrupted with a huff.

_Geez what a mouth she has on her! She doesn't just have lethal hands and legs, even her words can be damaging!_

"Whatev-" his mouth gets clamped on by her small hand. Her eyes flash at him.

"No! Not 'whatever', you either shut up and you can stay, or you can piss off home and leave me to enjoy my night off."

He hangs his head in defeat. "Ok, ok I'll shut up about it." he mutters into her soft hand. She smirks in triumph.

"Excellent, now let's dance!"

She starts to dance while he stands on the side-lines like a statue. She growls in frustration mid-spin and turns back to face him, hand on hips.

"C'mon, you're not gonna stand there for the rest of the night are you? What's the point in coming here if you're not gonna dance?"

"I'm fine thanks. I think I'll have a fag first."

_I need to clear my head, I'm thinking way too much. I need to play this just right and I can't control myself from spoiling it._

"Spoilsport. Have a dance with me first then we'll both go for one, ok?"

"No, I really need one. I'll meet you back up at the bar in ten minutes."

"I thought you weren't gonna leave my side; out here I'm a helpless little girl, wide open for a sexual predator to have his way with me, remember?" she said sarcastically.

"Don't be like that, you asked me to drop it!"

_My Hyne, is being here with her worth her treating me like some kind of a nuisance?_

She shrugged at him and turned back onto the dance floor and began moving.

"See you up there then." She shouted to him as she lost herself in the music. He stalks off up the stairs, a cigarette becoming so much more tempting by the second. He lights one the instant he reaches the bar and looks back down for her dancing figure.

He watches her for a few minutes as he drained the life from his cigarette, he sees her twirl across the floor, her body arching in ways that he couldn't imagine doing himself without snapping his spine. She sees him looking at her and waves with a smile. He feels a strong tug under his belt as he remembers his last thought: is she worth it?

_Hell yes!_

His body seemed to have a mind of its own; his senses were almost in overload. She heads back up the stairs to find him. He is no longer at the table, but at the bar trying to get served.

"What's your poison this time?" she asked as she slid up next to him; immediately getting the attention of a nearby bartender.

"I'll get this one." He said, drawing out his wallet. "Two shots of Absinthe and a bottle of beer for me, and whatever she's having." He indicated to the bartender who stared at the girl beside him and handed over a 20 Gil note before she could blink.

"I'll have an Archers and lemonade. Single measure please." She told the staff member. She turned back to face Squall. "You could have let me buy this round Squall; you got the last one."

"Well you paid for us to get in and the cab fare here," he countered as his beer was slid over to him. "So let me get this lot in and then we'll take it in turns."

"Ok, that seems fair." She replied "Ish."

He offered her a shot of the Absinthe and when she took it from his fingers, he clinked his own glass onto hers before chucking the pale green liquid down his throat. She swallowed her own shot and choked on the potent fluid. She could handle vodka but Absinthe was a totally different league of spirits! It made her head spin and her throat burn.

"Fuck, what proof is that stuff anyway?!" she spluttered as she reached for her mixer. Squall laughed and took a long pull at his drink.

"About 70% I think." He said as she downed half her drink without taking a breath. Her face was flushed red.

"Really? That's insane! That has to be like the strongest stuff I've ever had!"

"Yeah, it'll get you off your face pretty fast. The blue Absinthe is even more lethal at 80% but that's only available in Esthar. You know, most bars don't serve Absinthe and the ones that do will only let you buy one shot in a night. Though it's less harsh if you drink it in a pint of water."

"I can see why there's a limit, my word it is vile! Why any sane person would want to have more than one shot of it is beyond me." she declared as she downed the remainder of her Archers.

"Yeah, it's not to everyone's tastes." He nodded as he finished his beer off. He pulls out his cigarettes and lights up two. He pulls the second one out of his mouth and offers it to her.

"Uh thanks, I had a pack of my own but you could have just given me the lighter you know." She said as she took it from his fingers and took a puff. "You didn't need to light it for me." She said as she blew out a smoke ring above her head.

He sniggered at her and took a deep drag of his own cigarette.

"What, you think I have cooties or something? Aren't you a bit old to believe in that stuff Rinoa?"

_**No, but I am a firm believer that it was an attempt at an indirect kiss!**_

"Oh ha di ha. Aren't you quite the comedian?" she said sarcastically as she took in another breath of the noxious fumes.

"I try." He said with a sheepish grin. "Can I get you another drink?"

She gives him a strong glare and he puts his hands up in defence. "No Absinthe this time, I promise."

She wags her finger at him. "We've been here well over an hour already and you haven't even set foot on the dance floor once except to drag me off it. One more drink, but then you have to promise you'll dance ok?"

"Ok, but I must warn you; if you get me on that floor, you'll struggle to keep up with me." He smiled arrogantly. She stubs out her cigarette into the ashtray.

"Oh really?" she challenged.

He smiled even bigger. "Yeah, think you could handle it?" he countered.

She got to her feet and grabbed his wrist. "Forget the drink then, let's go! I gotta see this for myself."

She yanks at his arm, pulling him down the staircase to the dance floor. She jumps through the crowd, letting him go as she sauntered towards the middle. She liked being in the centre of the floor, the closer she was to the pounding speakers, the better.

Squalls hand snakes around her waist and spins her to face him.

"Quit walking away!" he yelled over the thunderous beat of the music. "You wanted to see me dance right, how'd you think that'll be possible if you can't even see me?"

"Shut your mouth and move your feet then!" she shouted back with a laugh. "Show me what you got Squall!"

There was something seductive about her command; it sent a strong pull to his groin as she smiled back at him.

_You wanna know what I've got, huh?_

He extends his right arm and beckons her to him with his index finger. She holds her sides and laughs at the look on his face. He had that cocky grin back on there again. She took his offered hand and spun herself under his arm before letting go quickly. He looked at her puzzled.

_What?_

"That's your lot!" she called out to him over the sound system. "You're on your own now. Go on, dance!"

He smirked back at her. Ok fine, if she wanted it that way.

He started his own moves; fluid and controlled. He curled his own hips, moving his arms in an electric rhythm. He tossed his head back, flicking his hair from his face. He swayed from side to side, kicking up his feet, shaking his shoulders to the beat of the tune. Rinoa stood and stared at him, with her mouth hanging open like an idiot.

"Go on Rinoa, I'm not gonna dance by myself!" he shouted to her over the music.

She started taking small steps, suddenly conscious she had him watching her. She became afraid to be natural with her moves in case it had the wrong effect. She turned and twisted herself clumsily, watching him out of the corner of her eyes in the fit-inducing light show above their heads. Her arms swung limply by her side and she turned her back to him, feeling less embarrassed that he couldn't see her face flush red under the coloured spotlights.

She knew she could dance better than this, what was she playing at? She could dance in front of him and take her clothes off at work but not here. She felt strange; it was like she was suddenly shy around him. She never got shy with guys!

Squall soon goes to her, just as the song was ending. His chin rested on her shoulder as his chest pressed into her back. She held her breath as she felt his damp, warm body against her.

"C'mon I've seen you dance better than this Rinoa. Let yourself go, dance the way we both know you can." He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against her lobe. The way he said it, sent chills through her body. How was he managing to talk so normally, and giving her this kind of reaction.

She gave him a sideways glance, a smile curled in her lips.

"I was just warming up." she said. She stepped forward away from him with her hips in a swagger, turning on the balls of her feet to face him, a serious, yet playful look on her face. She cocked her eyebrow at him and mouthed 'Let's dance'. He laughed at her, mouthing his own 'You're on'.

She raised her arms above her head and started swinging her hips as she spun around, the wide pleats on her tiny skirt flared out; making it look shorter with every turn she took. The cascading frills down her left hip swirled around the back of her legs as she worked her magic moves. She ran her fingers through her hair, flicking it up and out as she swung her head from side to side.

Squall found his feet once more, mirroring her graceful steps with his own: he side-stepped around her, twisting himself, skimming his feet across the floor in a sliding/jumping motion.

Rinoa smiled as she enjoyed her dance. He was a much better dancer than she had thought, almost as good as she was! He moved like he owned the whole dance floor!

She kept him on the floor for almost an hour before he begged her to let him take a break. Sweat dripped from his forehead and ran down his nose as he panted for breath. Well she'd had her fun and had seen that he could dance, but he'd been wrong about her struggling to keep up with him, it was the complete opposite! She felt so energised and was not ready to quit just yet.

"Go on then. But I expect you back here once you're done. You still have to show me that I can't keep up with you."

He gave her a weak smile. So… she wanted to see more? He'd happily oblige her… once he caught his breath!

He gets off the floor and heads for the room filled with water fountains in the middle of the club's two bathrooms. The alcohol was dehydrating him and he needed a lot of water to counterbalance the sickness rising in his guts.

He bent over one of the sinks and gulped down a lot of the cool liquid that shot up towards his mouth. Once he'd had his fill he kept his finger on the button and shoved his face into the spray. The coldness of the water hit him and jerked him out of his exhaustion.

He rubbed his wet face and raked his fingers through his brown hair, slicking it back on top of his head. It was so invigorating, feeling the water dripping down the collar of his shirt. He was ready for round two with Rinoa.

She hadn't danced with him, as in together, maybe it was time to get her on board with that idea. He decides that he wants to get even closer, if she really wanted to know how capable he was on the dance floor, and if him going solo hadn't proved it, then maybe she should try him on for herself!

He strode from the washrooms and scanned the floor of Loveless for her dancing figure. She was right near where he'd left her a few minutes ago. She was standing in front of the Disk Jockey station at the centre of the dance floor's edge, chatting to the guy operating the table behind it.

"Oh hey," she shouted as he approached her. "You're back just in time. I just put in a request for the next song. Hope your feet can move fast cos I asked for something really quick paced. I think you'll like it."

He didn't have time to reply as the next song began playing and she took off, back into her dancing bubble once more. A rhythmic drum and strumming guitar started playing over the surround system. A sultry male voice began whispering through the dim beat.

'_There's so many things I like about you, I, I just don't know where to begin…'_

Squall smiled to himself, recognising the words as she shimmied her way across the floor. How did she know this was one of his favourite songs to rock out to?

For the next four and a half minutes he danced himself into a frenzy; his energy well and truly regained as the beat of the Bodyrockers flowed though him. He totally lost himself in the music, _this_ was his territory. He pretended, like a lot of the other guys on the dance floor, that he was using an electric guitar in his arms, banging his head to the psychotic rhythm.

If the club played this kind of stuff, he was all over it. He didn't breakdance or anything, but he certainly did his best body popping moves while staying on his feet!

'_I like the way you move!'_

He stopped himself mid-spin as the music came to a close. He'd almost forgotten what he'd come back out here to do. He looks around him for the girl clad in blue, and comes up short. He can't see her in the dozens surrounding him.

_Ok Rinoa, where did you go?_

He feels a familiar presence watching him from above and looks to the bar. She is staring down at him over the balcony, waving a bottle of beer in his direction. He signals to her that he'd be right up.

He pushes through the crowd and heads up the stairs to meet her. She is sitting down at a table with half a lit cigarette dangling between her lips.

"Nice to see you enjoying yourself down there Squall. I take it you were happy with the song?" she asked as she sucked on her cigarette.

"Very happy." He stated as he sat down beside her. "I must ask you though, how in Hyne's name did you know I liked that song?"

"Contrary to what you may think when you play your CDs et al at full volume; your room is not soundproofed." She said, blowing out smoke rings. "I lost count of how many times that particular song disrupted my study sessions this week. It was a no-brainer really."

"My bad. But very clever, girl." He noted as he took a well-deserved swig of his beer. "Thanks for the drink by the way."

"Well I felt bad that I dragged you downstairs without taking you up on the last offer and I did keep you on the floor a hell of a lot longer than you probably wanted to be. I kind of owed it to you."

"Well when you're done here, I'm ready to get back out there." He said, taking another big gulp of the bubbly liquid. "The night is still young and so are we."

She laughed at him. "You're ready for another bout down there already? I didn't make you work hard enough then. You should be dead on your feet by now; most people can't handle more than an hour with me in here."

"You'll soon learn, Rinoa that I am not like most people. I have enough energy to spare for another session. Hurry up and finish your cigarette so we can get back on the floor."

She stubbed it out in the ashtray as he drained the last drops of his beer. "Ok then Mr Leonheart, let's get back out there."

He follows her back to the busy floor and she heads back for her favourite destination. She turns to face him, preparing to move on her own once again. He grabs for her hand and she looks up at him, her body in a half twisted position.

He decides now is the moment to ask her. His hand pulls her towards him, close enough for her ear to sit beside his mouth.

"Rinoa? I was wondering if you'll… dance with me?"

She pulls back and looks at him confusedly.

"I thought that's what we were doing silly? We're dancing together aren't we?" she said with a laugh. It was true, they had been dancing together.

He pulls her closer so she can look directly into his eyes. "No, I want to dance _with_ you, just like you did with that other guy…"

Suddenly she doesn't feel like laughing. She can't even speak coherently.

_**Oh Hyne, he's… he wants to…**_

"Oh… well… er…" she stammered.

Abruptly the Disk Jockey's voice sounded out across the club.

"Alright Loveless! It's Friday night and it is almost 12 o'clock and you know what that means; time to really hit the floor! We gotta special song coming up, planned for all our couples in here tonight. So guys and gals grab your partners and get yourselves ready for a Rumba!"

Rinoa wanted to look anywhere but into his eyes. If they didn't get off the floor right now…

"You know how to dance this one?" he asked directly, his eyes unblinking.

Her knees go weak at the feel of his hot breath over her mouth. The Rumba, a serious dance of seduction… passion… romance… lots of extremely close contact…

_**That dance… but… it's a… dance for… No! We can't dance like that!**_

"Yes… I know the steps. But…" She found herself saying, placing her free hand on his shoulder, preparing to push him away. He grips it with his own free hand, placing it over his beating heart. She can feel the convulsions beneath her fingers.

A thumping beat echoes the dance floor, prompting all clubbers who could find a partner to congregate within the laminate circle.

"Then will you dance it… with me… as your partner?"

_C'mon Rinoa, say yes!_

_**Say no, you idiot! You broke his heart once, you can do it again! He's waiting for you to let your guard down! Don't do it! **_Her mind screamed at her.

**For once Rinoa will you bloody give in? You like him, he likes you; he wants you to dance with him, so just do it already! **Her heart pounded in retaliation to her thoughts. **Can't ****you just listen to me for a change, forget about everything tonight and enjoy this time with him!? Why do you always fight me?!**

"Ok… Yeah… Sure…" she said firmly. He smiled at her.

Squall pulls her to the middle of the floor, swaying her against his body. He holds her waist and pushes her, dipping her back down, circling her around him as the sound of Eric Carmen's smooth vocals filled the room.

'_I look at you and I… fantasize… You're mine tonight'_

She pushes away as he pulls her back, acting out the story the dance represented. The story of the coy, teasing woman and the man who would do anything to keep her by his side and conquer her.

He was determined to show her how well he could dance _á deux_. On his own he did fine but he was so much better with a partner. And this time, it was personal and not protocol like his dance classes had been. He wanted to show off what he could do.

He pulls her even closer to him as they sway in perfect sync, their bodies fitting together in harmony as their hips performed the Cuban Motion. His right hand, unless it touched her, floated in the air above his waist.

She shoved him away and spun across the floor, to have him pull her in a twirl back into his arms. She wraps her arms around his neck, swaying her hips with his.

'_I feel the magic between you and I_'

She feels so happy being held in his arms and yet, deep down she knew that this was going too far, she just couldn't help herself. She couldn't take her eyes off him, and vice versa.

Squall moves with her perfectly, predicting every move she made and countering with his own experienced steps.

'_I want to hold you so hear me out_'

His eyes seared with passion, the kind only a professional dancer could muster as he performed the steps, his feet floating them across the floor as his hand rested on her hip. She tried keeping a straight face, the joy rushing to her features was hard to contain. He was… _really_ good! This obviously wasn't his first time doing this particular dance.

Squall felt something building up within him, something he felt like he didn't want to contain. She was smiling at him, but it felt different this time. Different… but in a good way. He felt a tug in his chest, something he hadn't felt in a really long time… since Allison. Only it was a lot stronger. His eyes widened.

_Is this…?_

He knew he really liked her… but this feeling, it was washing over him much too soon. Wasn't it?

She bends backwards as he holds her, curving her spine as he wraps his arm around her waist, his leg between hers for support. He cups her neck and pulls her back up with force, causing a rush of blood to stain her pale cheeks. She looked into his face and saw the heat radiating from his ice blue eyes.

"Hungry eyes" was right on the money. She could feel his burning into her.

'_Now did I take you by surprise?' _

She felt so strange; an emotion she'd never felt before plagued her entire being as she found herself face to face with Squall. It flooded her from the tips of her toes, coursing to the fibres of the hair on her head. She prepared to move again, but his arms held their position.

"_I need you to see_" the words formed on his lips in sync with the vocals, his eyes remained unchanged; so serious. Whether he'd actually said them was something she couldn't tell; the music was so loud she couldn't hear anything but the singer's voice surrounding them.

_**Oh… shit! What am I doing?!**_

Unwilling to see if the expected following lyrics stemming from his lips, she turns her face sideways towards the other dancers on the floor and pushes away from him again.

As she does this he frowns. What is going on with her? Why was she still pushing him away? It was part of the dance, but this time it felt like she was avoiding him. Didn't she feel it? She wasn't stupid enough to play hard-to-get was she?

Like she was a sparkling blue firefly he wanted to catch, he pursued her on the dance floor, grasping her fingers and pulling her back into his arms. He refused to let this go; he had to know 101 percent whether she felt the same way. Right now, it was definitely more than just her friendship he wanted.

'_I feel the magic between you and I'_

Relentless in his mission to keep her by his side, he did his best to keep her encased in his arms for the remainder of the song. But she never stayed there for too long; she knew the routine, the story, the girl would never stay in the man's arms until the final seconds of the melody playing. Fine, he could wait until that time came.

One final spin had her crashing into him with no means to escape, his arms wrapped around her shoulders firmly as her own were slung around his neck.

He holds her in his arms, almost nose to nose. Her breathing gets faster as he looked into her soul. They stayed like that as the other club goers continued moving around them whilst the song continued to play.

She was so close now she could see everything; the tiny hairs forming on his chin in the flickering disco lights, she was so close she could see the beads of sweat forming under his thick fringe; she could feel his heart pounding against her collarbone, the expansion of his chest as he breathed against her.

_**Oh my Hyne, what… What's come over me just now? He's just staring at me; his eyes… what is he thinking…?**_

Eric Carmen died off and Flip and Fill started playing on the stereo system. He broke the silence between them, his eyes burning into hers.

"Rinoa, I can't dance with you and pretend that there isn't anything going on between us. I don't want us to be just friends; I… I want more than that. Do you… think we can…"

He presses against her even further, feeling her tremble in his arms as she realises where the conversation was leading. She panics; this was never supposed to happen! Why did she do that dance with him?!

She braced her hands on his chest with a small push, pressing his face away from her own.

"I… I'm sorry! I can't do this!"

* * *

**Author's Note II:** Aaaaand we end it here! Sorry but I did have a fair amount written on here for after this moment but it would have made the chapter like 20-odd pages long! I can't be doing chapters that big again; it's too much for you all to read! Besides, it means I am finally ahead of myself and don't need to spend too long working on the follow-ups since they're already 90% done haha!

So what do you think? Reckon he'll be a persistent li'l beggar?

Ok I LOVE the film Dirty Dancing and I strongly believe that Patrick Swayze back then could pass for an older version of Squall in it, so it seemed very appropriate to dress him in the costume Patrick wore in most of the film. He looks so hot in my mind right now!

Now, Rinoa's outfit was hard to think about, I mentally dressed her in everything I could think of and didn't have any good ideas, ok I did but the image I had in my mind for them dancing the Rumba, the outfits didn't work properly for the following events, I had to make sure it could invoke the beast within Squall and I came up empty handed.

Anyhow back to the dress! Taking a brief break from writing chapter 6 a few weeks ago I watched a few Final Fantasy AMVs on YouTube, and when I saw Yuna in the Songstress outfit, it hit me like a ton of bricks! Rinoa and Lenne look almost identical, barring their hair colour shades, so why couldn't I use that for her outfit? We all know Rinoa suits blue best! I had to change the shoes though; somehow the boots just didn't do it for me while writing this chapter.

**Chapter Sixteen: Behind Closed Doors: **Pursuits lead to realisation, realisations lead to confessions, and confessions lead to the breakdown of this new friendship. What happens after these words have been spoken?


	16. Chapter 16

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Author's Note: **I've been working on this since I wrote chapter 5! I did warn you all that I was doing random chapters, and since my story plot line turned into 30 pages of plots and lots of dialogue and descriptions I felt like I had to start on several future chapters. Enjoy this one, there is more to come!

And WOW! I am very surprised with the traffic for the last chapter. Got some nice reviews which made me smile and a few adds/followers too. I have worked so hard on chapters 13/14/15/16/17 and 18 whilst getting 4-12 done. Glad to see it is paying off and people are enjoying the story.

We are at breaking point now! Something's gonna give!

**Rinoa's thoughts are in **_**bold italics**_** and Squall's are in **_regular italics_**.**

**Last Chapter**

"Rinoa, I can't dance with you and pretend that there isn't anything going on between us. I don't want us to be just friends; I… I want more than that. Do you… think we can…"

He presses against her even further, feeling her tremble in his arms as she realises where the conversation was leading. She panics; this was never supposed to happen! Why did she do that dance with him?!

She braced her hands on his chest with a small push, pressing his face away from her own.

"I… I'm sorry! I can't do this!"

**Warnings: This fanfiction IS rated "M" just in case you missed it! Contains adult themes and a lot of STRONG language. Oh and CITRUS!**

**Chapter Sixteen: Behind Closed Doors.**

She pushes him back and runs through the crowds, in the direction of the club toilets, too scared to get closer than she was already. He blinked for a brief second, and ran after her, his heart racing in his chest.

What the hell did she mean by that? Had he done something wrong? Was it something he could fix? He needed answers, right now. He was not going to let her walk away from him like that without explaining herself!

She breaks through the double doors into the brightly lit split room and sprints past the communal water fountain area towards the ladies' toilets. She gets to the swinging door and closes it just in time to see him advancing on her. She hears him pound against the door, begging her to talk to him. She can see his silhouette through the frosted glass window.

"Rinoa, come out! We need to talk about this; you can't say you don't feel the same way! Something's there, I know that you felt it too!"

Tears ran down her face. She knew he was right; there was something between them. She'd let him get too close; anymore and he'd pull her in without her resistance. But it was her fault; she'd lead him to believe it was possible; she couldn't blame him for behaving this way. What had she been thinking, she'd left herself wide open for this to happen and now it was staring her in the face with no way of coming out alive.

"Oh shit, what am I doing? We can't be having this conversation! How… how did I let it get this far?"

She splashes her face at the sinks inside the safety of the ladies' and looks into the mirror. Then her eyes widen as the realisation sets in: it was too late; she had… fallen for him… hard. He was everything she had ever wanted in a guy, so why was she hesitating?

Her plans… he had no place in them at all… Being a doctor was everything to her; she wanted it so much and yet… he was fighting his way into her life, compromising everything she'd desired for so long… how had he done that? How had he gotten under her skin in such a short time?

She didn't want to have to choose between her future career and that man outside the doors, but she couldn't have both; she'd fail to fulfil either obligation 100%. She needed to set him straight, no matter how painful it seemed now, it would be better for the both of them to forget. She'd done it once, so what was stopping her from ripping his heart out again?

She didn't want to hurt him; she really didn't. She couldn't bear to see the stricken look in his eyes for a second time. It had almost killed her to do it last time, but he knew her on this level. The real her, the personal side of her he'd come to know these past few weeks. She liked him too, as much as he liked her but it wasn't fair on either of them. How would they look each other in the eyes again after this?

She takes a deep breath; her hands clenched the rim of the porcelain fixture, deliberating whether or not she should just stay here until the club closed. There's no way he'd stand out there for the next 3 hours like an idiot.

She can hear his muffled voice outside the door. Gingerly she steps away from the sinks and stands nearby, on the hinge side of the door.

"Rinoa, you can't avoid me forever! I will wait here all night if I have to!"

_**Dammit, can he read my mind or something?!**_

He went quiet. She held her silence, praying he'd give up and go away.

The door swung open suddenly. She felt a breath catch in her chest. The door dropped back to its original position. To her relief it wasn't Squall breaking into the ladies', a pair of scantily dressed girls came in giggling. They walked over to the sinks and started chatting as they touched up their makeup.

"Oh my Hyne Trish, did you see that guy standing out there? Wow he is like, so hot!" A tall girl with cropped blonde hair swooned, applying a dark red lipstick. She wore a strip of neon pink fabric that was a poor attempt at a dress, in certain lights looked like it had been ripped apart by a tiger; large haggard slashes adorned the "ensemble" in various places. It hardly covered her cleavage or ass very discretely. Rinoa wore more than that when she stripped off in work, and that was saying something!

"I know right, reckon he's taken?" said her friend as she brushed her long amber locks. She was dressed no better; a pair of black hot pants that had half her butt hanging out of the bottom with a lime green tank-top that hardly covered her ample bosoms.

They failed to see Rinoa in the reflection of the mirror. The blonde spoke again.

"I hope not! That's a guy I wouldn't want to kick out of my bed in the morning, I tell you!" she said with a giggle.

The blonde shoved her lipstick back into her clutch bag as her friend flicked her fluffy hair over her shoulders flirtatiously.

"So… you gonna ask him out then? If you don't do it Laura, then I will!"

Laura laughed. "Back off Trisha, I saw him first."

"Nah, how about we share? I'm sure he's got more than enough for both of us right, hehe."

They walked over to the door and saw Rinoa leaning against the wall. A thud hit the door, causing all three to jump as it jumped open slightly.

"Dammit, if you don't come out right now Rinoa, I swear to Holy Hyne I will come in there myself! We need to talk about what happened out there." Squall's voice echoed through the door. The two girls looked pissed off, eying her up and down. Compared to them, she suddenly felt overdressed. It wasn't hard to really.

Rinoa avoided their gaze, keeping her eyes on the door. The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Ah, I see." She said to Rinoa. "Looks like your boyfriend out there is pretty angry with you; I wonder what you did to piss him off. Listen honey, if he dumps you tonight then feel free to send him my way."

Rinoa disliked the way she said the word 'boyfriend', and almost corrected the snotty cow but she and her ginger friend left the restroom before she could use a snappy comeback.

She stood there for several minutes, waiting to hear him call out her name again. Silence filled up the room, and she heard nothing more from his side of the door. He had sounded pretty pissed off, but it was her own fault.

_**Well… I guess it's time to face the music.**_

She placed her hand on the flat metal handle of the door pushed it open enough for her face to poke through the gap. She glanced up and her eyes travelled towards the main entrance to the bathrooms. It was like a ghost-town out there. The only sound she heard was the rumbling beat of the DJ's chosen track. The bathrooms were practically soundproofed to the thunderous tunes of the night.

No Squall. Maybe he'd gone, his threat was obviously empty, he wouldn't have seriously-

"Well?"

She jumped again and the door slammed shut. She stepped away from the door, her hand over her thumping chest.

_**Holy shit! Way to give a girl a heart attack!**_

He hadn't gone away; he had been standing by the door next to one of the many drinking fountains; waiting for her to come out. The door swung open and true to his word; he walked into the bathroom. She stepped back and swallowed as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Are you gonna say anything?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"You shouldn't be in here. You'll get into trouble if you're caught." She said weakly as her feet went back two paces.

"I don't care. We need to talk. Why are you being like this?"

"I… I don't wanna talk about it! Can you please just leave?" she said a bit louder. "I mean it Squall; just get out of here now!"

He folded his arms across his chest and stood his ground.

"No, I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me. I'll ask you again. What's wrong? What happened out there that made you run? Did I do something to upset you?"

"It's me alright?! I'm the one who is wrong! I crossed a line, one I shouldn't have! I can't get this close to you; I can't allow myself to do this!" She shouted. He blinks at her, confused.

_What the…? Is this some kind of joke?_

"Why not? I thought you liked me?" he asked, stepping closer towards her.

She looks up at him as she takes another step back. She soon wished she hadn't taken that last step; she was cornered now; she'd gone back so far she was standing between two sinks; she felt the hard surface press against her lower back.

"I do like you Squall, I really do… but it can't be that way, we…we can't be together like that."

"Sorry but I won't accept that answer Rinoa. You say you like me, but you 'can't' be with me? Why 'can't' you?" he finger quoted the word 'can't' to emphasise how unhappy he was with her previous statement. "What's the real reason for it? And don't come out with that crap about not having the time to date again either."

She was stuck; she can't give him a straight answer, or think of one that he would accept. She knew the only way to get him off her back was to start a fight.

"I know you're on the rebound from another girl Squall! You're projecting that onto me and that is horrible of you! Do you have _any_ idea how it feels, to know you're being used as a fucking replacement?!"

_How the hell does she know I got rejected? Does she know about Alexa? Nah, that can't be right. Not even Seifer or Irvine knows about her! I don't remember telling her about Allison either so what is she going on about?!_

"What the fuck? Another…? Keh, you certainly have an active imagination Rinoa." He laughed. She glared at him.

"Care to explain that comment?" she demanded as she put her hands on her hips defensively.

"I'm saying that you are very misinformed; I don't like anyone else, I like _you_." He said slowly and calmly, taking a step towards her. Her hands slide off her hips, dangling beside her legs.

She is stunned. She knows he has no idea she is the stripper he had declared his affections for otherwise he'd have outed her a lot sooner. Was he over it that quickly? No way, he was messing with her mind.

"Oh really? I find that hard to believe!" she shot back at him. "What about the girl who holds your heart? Have you forgotten about her this easily?"

"No such a person exists, maybe in your mind perhaps." He scoffed at her, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well I don't believe you, so stop lying to me and tell me the truth!" she demanded, the tears filling her eyes threatening to cascade down her cheeks.

_What I may have felt for her was nothing to the way I feel for you Rinoa, this goes much deeper than a stupid crush!_

"Why ruin a perfectly good night by arguing, weren't we having a good time until a few minutes ago?" he sighed in frustration.

She looks up at him, her eyes on fire. "Is all I am good for, a _good time_?!" she demanded.

Squall blinked. "What?! I didn't-"

She put her hand up to stop him, she was far from finished.

"I guess I must be, every other fucking guy here seems to think so, that's why they all stick their hands up my skirt or drive their tongues into my mouth!" she yelled, an angry flush spreading across her face. "I must look like a _really_ easy fuck huh?" she snarled bitterly.

"Rinoa, stop it right now, you're being ridiculous-"

"Tell me Squall, is that how _you_ see me too?! Huh?! Do you!?" she screamed at him, her voice bouncing off the ceramic walls of the bathroom. "Well done, you have succeeded in making me feel cheap and worthless."

"I didn't say anything like that; don't put words in my mouth!" he protested angrily.

_Shit, how did we get onto this? Dammit I need to control myself, but she is walking a thin line right now!_

Rinoa gave him a nasty cold look, tears start falling from her eyes as she chokes on her words.

"If you're… if you're just after a good time; if you want someone to _be with_ that badly, then why… why don't you try to pick one up outside those doors, the place is crawling with girls who would kill to be in your bed!" she said as firmly as she could. "I'm sure you can find someone to keep you warm, but don't you dare think of me for that!"

"That's not what I said! I was trying to-"

"Shut the fuck up!" she cried out, startling him. "Whatever tonight had been, or was supposed to be by your admission out there, it is now over! I'm going home!" she shouted as she moved in his direction. "Don't you dare follow me! I won't be able to stop myself smashing you into the ground if you do."

She tries pushing past him towards the door. Not fast enough though, he is right after her, grabbing her swinging wrist and pulls her back into his arms. She feels his heart thumping in his chest.

_Ok that's it, fuck self-control! I need to make myself clear and show her!_

"Squall I'm warning you now; let me go!" she said dangerously as she stared into his face. His face mirrored hers with the same expression. Their eyes were on fire, a serious frown marring both of their features. Squall spoke slowly, pushing her against the tiled walls. She shivered as the cold white slabs hit her back and she felt their iciness through her shirt.

"You're not going anywhere Rinoa: I won't let you walk away from me again. I've been fighting this urge all night and I can't hold it back anymore! There's only one girl in here that I want and it's you! Be it in my bed or otherwise."

He dips his head into hers, capturing her lips in his. Her eyes widened in shock as he moved his mouth fiercely, pushing her lips apart, trying to get her to open up for his tongue to enter her.

_**No! Stop it Squall! STOP IT! Get off me!**_

She tries to fight him off but he pushes her from the wall and into a cubicle, holding both of her hands above her head with his left, as his mouth silences her protests, his right hand grips her waist, pinning her on the wooden surface of the cubicle wall with the rest of his body. She shivered again as a scary thought plagued her mind. How could she get out of this?

She feels his tongue dancing over hers and her knees buckle beneath her. He presses his left leg between her thighs to hold her up, rubbing against her most sensitive spot. She gasps in his mouth as he moves his lips against her own with the same passion he'd shown her at work the first time he'd been there. He was relentless in his assault on her mouth; his body was pushing into hers so hard she thought they'd crack through the wall and fall into the next cubicle.

_**It… it's just like the last time he kissed me! I can't… Please stop Squall, you're making me feel like I'm gonna….! **_

Her mind screams at her to stop him but she pushes the thought back as his hand releases hers and cups the back of her neck, pulling her into his body. She gives in to the kiss, wrapping her newly freed arms around his neck, holding him so close they can't breathe. He moves to press her against the door, his mouth savaging her own. She moaned softly as he worked his tongue around her mouth.

_**Oh, who am I kidding, I can't fight this!**_

No matter how hard she'd pushed him back, she still wanted him; whether he knew her or not. The way he held her was better than anything she had dreamed about. Her fantasies seemed childlike compared to the reality she was now experiencing.

He opens his eyes to see her own were closed as she kissed him back. He feels himself rising to the occasion and makes it known to her, by grinding his hips into hers. He smiles against her mouth as her hands start running through his hair, her hips bumping in rhythm against his. He feels his knee getting slightly damp through his trousers and his eyes widen as he realises what it was and where it was coming from. Suddenly the little moans she'd exhumed hit him with realisation. He'd turned her on and she was enjoying it!

Ok, _now_ he was about to lose it! He couldn't deny that he hadn't thought about being with her this way- the faeries had been plaguing his mind all evening but it hadn't just been tonight.

He pulls back from her lips; she looks up at him, wondering why he'd stopped. In a husky voice, he leans forward and speaks into her ear.

"Rinoa if I don't get you out of here right now, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself committing a felony if we stay here. I need to get you home… now!"

_**He wants to… oh my Hyne! What the hell am I thinking?! I need to get out of here!**_

She presses her back against the door of the small cubicle and shivers. Her mouth opens but nothing comes out, she looks into his eyes, she can see how badly he wants her, and she can tell he is more than ready to rip off her clothes and ravish her.

Thinking back to the kitchen weeks ago, the same night he met her as Alexa, they'd been close to kissing. Unbeknownst to Squall who she was and her discovering who he was, the thought of what might have happened had she not slapped him crossed her mind. And it looked very possible that it could now.

She couldn't try resisting him, he was here larger than life, pressing against her as if his life depended on it, and she knew that if she said no, he'd probably persist even more. And yet, she wouldn't be willing to fight back… the heat building up within her was close to reaching the surface, she'd need a release as badly as he did if it erupted. But how long could she hold it off before she lost her senses?

She swallows a lump in her throat, turns her face away from his and looks up at the flickering lights above their heads.

"Oh no you don't! Rinoa, look at me dammit!"

His fingers turn her chin back into his direction. His smouldering eyes plead with her to say yes, his mouth is set into a sombre line.

"Say it." He tells her softly, firmly. "Tell me you don't want this."

She tries looking away again; she just can't bring herself to look at him much longer. How can she possibly say that to him while he holds her this way; it is so clear what he wants her to do. Would he stop if she said so? Did she really want things to end this way? Could she forgive herself, could _he_, if she said 'no'?

_Shit, she's hesitating, what can I do to make her decide? I need to think of something quick!_

His hand moves swiftly from her waist to under her skirt and boldly cups her beneath the pleated material, feeling her above his fingers.

Rinoa's mind fogged over as she collapsed onto his hand involuntarily. She hadn't expected this!

He hisses as her knees buckled from the shock of his movement, feeling his middle finger pushing into her through the damp silken material of her panties. He contemplates moving his hand away but… his mind was clouded with desire.

_Dammit, I need to control myself. Oh who am I kidding, I want to fuck her brains out!_

_**Oh Hyne! This… this feels so… Ohhhh!**_

She trembles in his hands, her face flushed, unable to say anything. His heart is racing in his chest as he rests his sweaty forehead against the cool wall, his mouth next to her ears.

"Please… _please_ put me out of my misery Rinoa," he begs. "Either you ask me to stop right now or I won't be able to. I'm trying to resist you but I am so close to losing control, it's taking all I have not to."

She feels his fingers twitch beneath her legs; a breath catches in her chest as she moans into his ear. He pushes his fingers further in response, he growls as he tries to stop himself and wait for her answer. His fingers tug at the seams of her panties, aching to rip them off.

His length was pushing into her leg, it should have been very obvious that he needed her answer quickly.

She was making it very difficult. Her expression told him she didn't want him to stop, her eyes were shut tightly, her mouth in a perfect 'o' as she bucked her hips, encouraging his fingers to rub against her.

"Squall… I… oh… I'm… I'm gonna… oh… Ohhh!" she moaned in shattered breathes next to his head. His eyes widened.

_Holy shit, she likes it! Oh Hyne, I need this, please let her say yes before I just lose myself!_

All she needed to say was one word, one word that would make or break him. He needed to hear her say it but he didn't want to wait all night. If she needed further persuasion then he was more than willing to give it to her.

His fingers climb up the front of her smooth underwear and slip under the top ridge of elastic, seeking out her heat. His fingers brush past her, dipping between her legs, find their former location and continued where the material had stopped him from going. He grunts in frustration, he's so close to going off the edge he can't help himself from plunging his fingers deep inside her. Her eyes open and another moan escapes from her lips as she shuddered in his grasp.

He'd never been this forward with anyone before; but something about Rinoa made him feel the need to dominate the situation. But how long he was willing to wait before his primal instincts took over? It was becoming harder and harder not to drop his trousers and do her against the door.

Blood is fizzing throughout her entire body, she feels dizzy as she tries not to lose herself. Her whole body is on fire, she wants him to keep going and at the same time she wants him to stop. She can't decide which feeling was stronger. Her body was betraying her big time; she didn't want the words to come out. He turns his head to face hers, still resting it against the wall.

"Tell me; just say the word and I'll stop… Hyne, but I don't want to stop. I want you… Rinoa; I want you so badly… you make me feel so… good. I'm asking you again; is there _any_ way we can be more than 'just friends'?"

His words come out ragged, as if he was in pain. Her eyes glaze over with tears as she whispers into his ear, her breathing also erratic.

"Don't… don't ask me… please… it's too late for that… Just… just take me home."

* * *

**Author's Note II: DUM DUM DUM! Will they? Or won't they? Interpret the end of this chapter as however you wish until the next update. I have certainly left this chapter on a big cliff-hanger, how bad am I for doing that? Muhahahaha! LIMEY GOODNESS HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!**

**Next Chapter: **what happens after those fated words? Review and you'll find out! No title as of yet, nor a mini synopsis of what is to come. I haven't quite decided whether I'll give the readers what they want or to keep you all hanging on a bit longer-

**Squall: "Hurry up and decide will you!? Do you think I wanna stand in here like this? I've waited long enough for this chance, you're being so unfair!"**

**Me: "Oh dear… but cliff-hangers are my speciality besides citrus works- you should know this by now, having starred in 99% of them. Don't you worry; I will get you some action for this story… eventually." *Grins wildly***

**Squall: "READERS! I am begging you; tell this evil writer to give me a break! Haven't I suffered enough here?!"**

**Me: "Well Squall, we know you won't rape her; I've never painted you in that light before and I don't intend to start now. So we'll leave you right here until the readers decide what they really want for you. I have two chapters written already for after this moment. One will kill you; the other will set your soul on fire. Which one do you want me to post?"**

**Squall: "The one where I am not getting so frustrated that I'd want to cut your head off for denying me!"**

**Me: "Oh you love me really, just say it."**

**Squall: "Whatever!"**


	17. Chapter 17

**Love at Angels'**

**Rinny Leonheart**

A request from Angel Wing Rinoa777, my first request fic to be exact, which means that it will contain multiple chapters, and multiple lemons if you guys are lucky enough!

**Summary: AU SQUINOA.** Having had his heart torn to shreds 6 months ago, Squall Leonheart's best friends Seifer and Irvine decide that he has moped around for long enough and he needs to let go. For his 19th birthday they show him the world of Angels', Deling's most famous strip club, where he meets a dancer who shouldn't even be there. Determined to forget his past, he visits the club every day, in hopes to make the dancer part of his future…

**Author's Note:** So...**. **Just to point out, I don't swear much in real-life, ok? I have an almost four year old who has a mind like a sponge, I am rather thankful she cannot read yet otherwise I'd be screwed over with a LOT of questions about the stuff I read at home. Oh and THANK YOU ASHBEAR, for all your reviews so far! It has made my week!

OK the public wants Squall to have his time; so here you go! I hope it turns you into; to quote Blackivar: "colourful puddles" XD

**I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND READERS, ONCE AGAIN, THAT THIS IS RATED 'M' AS IN MATURE CONTENT, AS IN ****NOT**** FOR MINORS! CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, ADULT THEMES ETC. IF YOU ARE HERE AND UNDERAGE, THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THE 'M' RATED SECTION IMMEDIATELY!**

**As with the last chapter, Rinoa's thoughts are in **_**bold italics**_**, Squall's are in **_regular italics_**.**

**Last Chapter**

"Tell me; just say the word and I'll stop… Hyne, but I don't want to stop. I want you… Rinoa; I want you so badly… you make me feel so… good. I'm asking you again; is there _any_ way we can be more than 'just friends'?"

His words come out ragged, as if he was in pain. Her eyes glaze over with tears as she whispers into his ear, her breathing also erratic.

"Don't… don't ask me… please… it's too late for that… Just… just take me home."

**Chapter Seventeen: Here In Your Arms**

Rinoa's breaths were deep and loud as she was pressed against the cubicle door. Neither of them moved, his hand was still inside her panties as he took it all in.

His head was spinning. She'd said it; she'd given him her answer. Here he was, with her literally in the palm of his hand… and she'd said it. He'd half expected this answer and now he was almost afraid of what would come next.

His thoughts ran wild with scenarios; images flashing before his eyes in a spinning circle.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, his eyes straying to her own. The tears fell down as she nodded.

"Yes… we… we can't be friends… not anymore… not after… this." She whispered back. His eyes cast down.

"Rinoa… I never… I never wanted… to be your friend…" he said. The words were so painful as they came from his mouth, especially now while his fingers resided within her.

"So… you're not mad?" she asked cautiously. "You're not angry with me?"

He looked up to face her, a smile evident on his features, his eyes burning with a lustful fire.

"Not at all. In fact, you have just made my year."

He lunged for her mouth with his own and started moving his hand beneath her legs once more. He rubbed her hard and greedily while his tongue wrestled with hers. His reactions tipped her over the edge. She thrust her hips out, pressing her shoulders back, gasping for breath. She was utterly spent.

"Squall! T-take me home!" she demanded in shattered gasps. He grinned at her, like an imp.

"… as you wish."

He removed his hand from its resting place, rubbing his fingers together; they were coated in her essence. He raised it to his lips, the desire to sample her very strong. His tongue darted out, savouring the sweet nectar. Rinoa watched as he licked his fingers clean. He kept his eyes on her, seeking out a reaction as he tasted her on his fingers.

"Don't worry, this is only an appetizer. I fully intend to get a better taste of you when I get you home." He promised, the desire heavily implied on his words. She flushed at the very thought he'd inferred.

"We need to get out of here without being seen first. You'll have to wait…" She told him. His hands returned to her hips and hoisted her legs around his waist. He started nibbling on her neck.

"Honestly… I'd rather… stay here… than have to… wait." He said darkly through his kisses. It had been seven months, he'd waited long enough. She shuddered as his tongue licked her the hollow of her throat.

"Do you… have… anything?" she breathed.

His head shot up.

"I'll have you know I'm clean thanks!" he said, insulted. She shook her head furiously.

"I didn't mean… that! I… meant… a… you know…" she couldn't say the word. "I don't… have one..."

"No…" he admitted. "I don't have one either…" He took one look at her. She was biting her lip.

"But we… we can't… not if…"

_Shit… she wants me to use shrink wrapping?! _

His hands grazed the portion of her exposed midriff, feeling her creamy skin beneath his fingers. She was slipping out of his reach…

_Dammit! I hate those things!_

"I can get one." He found himself saying as he lowered her back to the ground. His eyes locked back onto her. "I'll find a machine… just… don't go anywhere."

She shook her head at him, her fingers stroking the smooth fibres of his shirt

"We can't stay here… you could get caught coming back in… we'll have to go…" she trailed off.

"Fine. Find a cab and meet me at the entrance downstairs." He said directly. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

He caught her in a lingering kiss, a silent promise of what was to come and unlocked the cubicle door. He slipped out and she waited for the swinging door to close. When she heard it, she too exited the cubicle. Nobody had come in while their exchange had been going on and she was grateful for it.

She looked into the mirror above the sinks at her reflection. Her cheeks were tinted scarlet and her hair was mussed up, almost frizzing from the humidity out on the dance floor. Thankfully she'd worn waterproof mascara otherwise she'd have panda eyes from her tearful outburst earlier. She ran the cold tap and dragged her damp fingers through her hair to smooth it back down.

Hyne only knows what state it would be in after they got home… she flushed harder at the thought. If what happened in the cubicle was anything to go on, she knew she'd need to do a deep condition and combing session in the morning.

She pushed the bathroom door open and passed through the packed dance floor. She had elbows in her sides as she tried to avoid the other club goers dancing like crazy around her. It was difficult to move through them without shoving them back.

What a night this turned out to be! She hadn't in her wildest dreams thought she'd be going home with a guy before, well, she knew she would tonight, but not in that sense!

She got to the doors next to the stairs to the bar. For a second she wondered about going up and getting another drink. She looked at the shots vending machine inside the door and slipped in 5 Gil. She pressed the "random selection" button and a long plastic test tube appeared in the bottom drawer seconds later. She pulled it out and inspected the contents.

Wet 'N' Wild was the name on the dark label surrounding the thin glass container. She grinned stupidly. How… appropriate. She pulled out the plastic screw cork and swallowed the contents. She liked the taste of it and wanted another. She inserted another 5 Gil and selected the Wet 'N' Wild button. Another dropped into the drawer and she downed it quickly.

She reached into her pocket for another coin, and just as she was about to slip it into the coin slot a hand grabbed her wrist. She felt his head on her shoulder as he whispered into her ear.

"Don't even think about it. I need you… now!" his voice went through her like a gust of wind. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

She allowed him to drag her through the doors and down the stairs to a waiting taxi. Lady luck was on his side, the patrons hadn't started evacuating yet so the rank was slowly filling up with cabs ready. She climbed into her seat and looked at him opposite her. He looked rather shifty as he sat down.

"Did you manage to-" his fingers touched her lips to stop her finishing her question.

"Yes." He replied, looking hesitantly at the driver. "32 Dollet Road please."

The car pulled away from the club and turned onto the main road. The ride was silent for a few minutes.

"Good night then kids?" the driver asked the two teenagers in his back seat.

_Yeah and the fun's not over yet. _Squall looked at Rinoa, his fingers still on her bottom lip.

"Bit crowded but yeah, it's been good." He said shortly, his eyes not straying from the dark haired girl's. She smiled behind his fingers and poked her tongue between them. He gave her a very wicked smile in return.

_Rinoa… When I'm done with you…_

"Here we go you two." The driver announced as he pulled up in front of the house. "That'll be 9 Gil."

The two teenagers looked at the house and back to each other; the lights were off, so either nobody was home or they were all asleep. Squall moved his hand from her mouth and grasped his wallet.

"Wait-" she started to protest but he put his hand up in front of her face.

"I got this. Rinoa go up and get the door open." He said firmly.

Squall opened the door next to him threw a 20 Gil note through the tiny window to the driver. He pushed Rinoa's shoulders towards the exit and she stepped out of the door and walked up the path to the house.

"Keep the change."

"Cheers! Enjoy the rest of your night."

_Oh, I plan to!_

He climbed out of the cab and shut the door behind him. Rinoa was struggling to open the door with her key, shaking as she tried to connect the silver object into the coupling lock. He jumped up the steps and pressed his chest into her back. His hand snaked up her right arm to the key in her hand.

"Here… let me… guide you in…" he whispered seductively in her ear, feeling her knees shudder against him. The double meaning was not lost on her. He helped her position the key into hits destination and slid it gently inside the metal lock. They turned it together and the latch clicked, the door creaked open. He used his chest to push her forward over the threshold.

The whole few seconds it took to get her through the door Squall realised he wouldn't last until they got up to their rooms. He hadn't gone down completely and the thought that he was moments away from ravishing her brought him back tenfold. It pressed against the small of her back, aching to be released.

"So... uh… this might be a cheesy cliché but…" Rinoa asked as his chest stayed in position against her back. She turned her face on her shoulder towards him. Her eyes were as need-filled as his own. "… your place or mine?"

He covered her mouth in his, not saying a word as he kicked the front door closed with his foot. He savagely pushed his tongue into her mouth, turning her to face him properly. She pushed her own tongue back, fighting his assaulting appendage. She shivered as his hands wandered up from her waist and cupped her breasts ferociously, thumbing at her cleavage.

"Neither." He finally said in gasping breathes. "We're staying down here."

With pure power, he steered her into the living room, just as he had planned to when she had come down the stairs hours ago. He shoved her into the dark room, fighting the demons inside him telling him to just fuck her. He would do that, but not this second.

She grasped at the buttons on his shirt, fumbling to unbutton it. He looped her fingers inside the small gaps between the buttons and helped her rip it off him. The ominous tearing of the fabric reached his ears but he didn't care if it was ruined, he could always get another shirt. Her small hands ran across his chest, her nailed fingers scraping his bare skin.

He spun her round, pressing her against the door, closing it with a thud. His hands slipped under her shirt and pulled it up; she lifted her arms briefly so he could get it over her head. He threw it aside and tried to focus on her shape in the dark. He pulled her to him, noting that under that top she hadn't worn a bra, as her hard nipples grazed his chest. She felt the cold metal of his belt buckle pressing her belly button and shivered. He slipped off her flimsy arm warmers, dropping them onto the floor and moved for her waist.

He slipped her belt from her waist and his hands tugged at the button on her mini skirt, letting it slide down her legs. She stepped out of the material wrapped round her ankles and almost fell over onto the floor. He steadied her by using his strong arms on her shoulders, pushing her back onto the door.

He knelt down with her still standing, trailing his hands down her almost-naked body. He bypassed her hips, reaching for her legs. His fingers discovered the tiny buckled straps on her heels were elasticated and slipped under the stretchy material. Helping her stay on her feet, he yanked off the shoes, tossing them next to the sofa.

Her legs were so smooth, like silk, he explored the curves of her thighs and calves. She felt goose bumps forming as his fingers stroked the front of her panties, just a little bit. She moaned softly.

"Squall…"

His patience was rapidly disappearing and he pulled her with him onto the fluffy carpet. He rolled her onto her back so he was on top of her, still wearing his own shoes and trousers. They'd be coming off soon enough. He started kissing her neck softly, trailing butterflies down her collarbone with his eyelashes. Her hands wrenched through his thick brown hair as he reached the top of her breasts.

"Rinoa I want to… see you…" he whispered between kisses. "Let me get the lights."

Rinoa panicked. She suddenly remembered her tattoo. If he were to see it on her back then it was over, he'd know who she was. She remembered telling him it was a one-off design she'd created herself, right before she humiliated him and tore out his heart. There's no way he'd believe she wasn't Alexa if she denied it.

He felt her stiffen beneath him, heard her gasp slightly.

"No… don't… Keep them off, please?"

"Why? How can I see you in the dark?" he kissed just above her peaks, taking his time, as difficult as it was. He needed her to be ready, he wanted to enjoy the moment.

"I… I'm really… shy. Please?"

To say he was confused was an understatement. She had a dynamite body, she knew she did and yet she didn't want him to see it, being shy seemed very silly to him. He wouldn't insist further with the lights, in case she changed her mind. He needed this so badly it wasn't worth ruining this chance. But the lack of sight still presented a problem. If he couldn't see where he was going… he could end up penetrating her in the wrong place. He was not into that at all and he doubted she'd see the funny side of it either.

"How about I open the curtains a bit? Just enough to see what I'm doing?"

A bit of moonlight… that could work, he'd see her outline and not everything else.

"Mmm."

He rolled off her and removed his shoes and socks. Then he strode across the room to the windows. He pulled open the curtains and twisted the blinds halfway, so the gentle glow of the moon slipped through the cracks. She sat herself up and saw his pale skin illuminated with stripes, like a tiger. He turned his face to her, the streaks of moonlight on his face showed only his eyes and mouth.

"Is this ok? Or can I open them a bit more?" he asked cautiously. Her eyes darted back and forth, her nerves were rising, the giddy feeling she'd had when they were in the cubicle at the club was evaporating and was being replaced with another emotion, the one she'd felt on the dance floor… one she couldn't quite place... Could it be…?

_**No! That's… impossible!**_

He saw the uncertainty in her face, a nasty feeling hit his stomach hard.

_Oh no! Not again!_

He almost sprinted back to her side, pushing her back onto the plush carpet.

"Ooof! Squall!" she cried out as she hit the soft fluffy rug.

He lay on top of her, not moving. She could feel his heart thumping madly in his chest against her own.

"Squall?" she whispered, listening to his heavy breathing.

"Don't…" he whispered back. "Don't turn me away, not now… Please… I… I can't…"

She understood what he meant with his broken words; he thought she was going to run again.

"Wait! I-it's not… I wasn't… I mean…" she couldn't explain it in fear that he'd take it the wrong way.

He pressed himself onto his hands and looked at her poorly lit face.

"You're… _not_ having second thoughts?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed in the darkness.

"I said it before; even if we do, or we don't, we can't be friends again after this… I'd… I'd rather not wonder what it would have been like and-"

He cut her off with his mouth, pressing his weight on top of her. She held his head in her hands, her fingers raking through his hair like it was her last wish. Her mouth moved with his in harmony; hungry, urgent kisses exchanged between them.

_Thank you Hyne! You haven't completely screwed up my year!_

Her fingers travelled down his neck, her nails started digging into his shoulders, scraping across his back. He was so ready for this. All he had to do was get these damn trousers off!

Hopefully for the last time, he bench pressed himself to his knees. Rinoa's small hands reached out for the belt on his trousers, the softness of her lithe digits brushed against his stomach as she fiddled with the small nuisance which was the button hiding beneath the leather strap on his hips.

"I want you…" he said for what seemed like the hundredth time that night as her fingers finally undid the button and started pulling his fly down. "I want you so badly, it's not even funny."

"I know." She whispered as the zipper reached Ground Zero. "I know."

He had to stand up, there was no way he could get his pants off while lying on top of her. It'd be a nightmare to even try it without looking like a fool.

He got to his feet and fumbled trying to get his pants down, almost grateful the lights were off so she couldn't see how frustrated he was with the material. His trousers were not going down as easily as he'd hoped. He freed his legs from them at last and chucked them over his shoulders with a grunt. The room lit up briefly in a flash; he'd tossed them so hard they'd hit the window.

She giggled slightly, amused by the expression on his face in the broken moonlight. He was fighting himself, trying not to lose control. He crawled back on top of her, resting between her slender legs, his boxers still in place. For now at least.

"Ha di ha. I'm out of practice." He said defensively.

She remembered their exchange in the bathroom, no wonder he'd been so eager. She'd read that dry spells affected the male brain to the point of no self-control. So far he was holding up pretty well.

"Oh… so you can't remember?" She asked, not wanting to expose her own weakness, that of no experience. She hoped it would be as she'd seen in movies, read about in books; tender, loving, careful…

He grinned at her in the streaky moonlight.

"Heh, it may have been a while; but I promise you now that I haven't forgotten what I'm doing. And if my mind hasn't wandered too much, I think it's time I showed you my special move."

In one fell swoop he'd grasped her waist and pulled her panties off before she could blink. Her legs now rested either side of his hips.

_**Whoa! What the… How the hell did he…do that?**_

He chuckled at her surprised face; he thought it rather… cute. He tossed her silky panties to one side and bent down to kiss her face. He pushed against her, only the material of his boxers separated them now.

Rinoa felt so… exposed. Well, yeah she was butt naked of course but her nerves were rising higher and higher. She could feel him pushing into her; the cloth barrier stopping him from complete entry would have to be removed. And once it was then they'd…

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt him slide down her body, trailing kisses from her neck to her stomach, stopping at her raised legs. He stopped pressing against her but held her knees apart. There was silence. Except for her heavy breathing, she heard nothing else.

She felt his hot breath on her sensitivity. Her mind went wild with thoughts of what men did at this particular moment. She'd read about it in Cosmo, the article said it was almost as intimate as the very act of sex.

**Oh please tell me he's not going to- OH! OH HYNE!**

She had no time to think further, her mind swam in an endless sea of nothing as he ravished her very core. His fiery mouth had engulfed her, sucking, licking and occasionally nipping her very womanhood in a manner she had never thought possible. She found herself biting her lips as excited screams threatened to erupt, her body burning up as she writhed on the soft floor, gripping the carpet for dear life.

"Squall, OH Squall! Oh Hyne don't… Ohhh!" she uttered in shattered breathes.

From his position, Squall could hear her gasps and groans as she fought hard to be quiet. He tried to keep a straight face as he continued his assault but inside he was dancing with joy, he'd missed this so much! He buried himself as far as he could; his nose rubbed her as he stroked her up and down with his tongue. She came in a sudden rush and he enjoyed savouring her. She tasted even better than he'd imagined, he was so ready for her now. And judging by her current state, she was too.

"P-please!" she whispered haggardly. Her mouth was dry from the result of his actions; it was almost painful to talk.

He hoisted himself back up her body and kissed her fiercely, allowing her to taste herself on his mouth. To him, it was so hot when a girl experienced how she tasted after an orgasm and he wanted to keep her in the loop of how good it was. She didn't protest or push him away so she obviously didn't mind.

She felt his hands gliding up and down her shivering body, taking their sweet time until his palms began stroking her wrists. He pulled her hands to his waist band and slipped them inside his boxers. She could feel him, pulsing, hot and rock solid under her fingertips. Her eyes widened.

"Squall! Wait!"

He looked down at her. "Yes? What's wrong?"

_**I'm not ready… I'm scared… I… I don't know what I'm doing! Please don't hurt me!**_

She couldn't say any of those things. Sure she'd performed like she knew but the difference was that she'd acted it out and prayed it had been right; that wasn't the real thing. But this. This, right now, this would be real. She only knew how to tease men, not please them! Then she remembered.

"T-the condom!" she blurted out, flushing madly that she'd used the word. "Where is it?"

He mentally slapped himself. How had he forgotten that? It was the only reason he was here with her now, one item short of being fully naked and ready to go. It was the condition she'd set back in the bathroom of the club.

_Aw fuck! Where is it?! Oh yeah, it's in my wallet… in my pants… on the window sill. Dammit!_

"Hang on. Be right back."

He rolled off her again, praying it _was_ the last damn time before he'd had his way. His desires needed to be satisfied.

He yanked his wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open in search of the irritant. Oh Hyne, how he _hated_ these things! He located it inside the little coin pocket next to his cash-cards with a sigh. He couldn't decide if it was in relief or frustration.

He came back to her side, brandishing it between his forefingers in her direction.

"Would you like to do the honours?" He asked offering it to her. He was hoping he wouldn't have to touch the damn thing with his hands. Just the thought of wearing it made his skin crawl.

_**Why is he asking me? Does he not know how to put one on? Hell, I have no experience in that field, I'd probably put it on the wrong way!**_

"I-I'd rather not. Could you do it please?" She said. He clenched his fist around the silver square in frustration. In the dim light Rinoa didn't see his gesture.

_Hyne dammit! Guess I have no choice. But for her… for her I'll endure anything!_

He lay next to her with the package in his teeth as he removed his final article of clothing. He ripped it open with his mouth, pulled out the offending item and slid it on, trying not to be sick. Once he was certain it was secure he kissed her.

He was back on top of her, using one arm to hold himself up. She froze for a brief second hearing him grunt, his other hand between her thighs. Then he moved, pushing into her really quickly. His free hand gripped at her hips, rocking her back and forth in a quick pace. She screamed involuntarily and clamped her hands over her mouth to cover the sound.

_**Ohhhh! Owww! Is this what it's supposed to be like?! Owwwww!**_

In a flash he stilled above her. He felt her shudder, a small whimper escaped through her fingers.

_I thought she was ready… Why is she in so much…! No way, it… it couldn't be! She's… she's not… a…?! Oh hell!_

"Are… are you ok?" he asked. He was suddenly too afraid to move.

She didn't answer. He reached for her face and felt fresh warm tears on her cheeks. She let out a shattered sob when his fingers stroked her wet skin.

"It… it hurts. I didn't… I didn't think it would be like this. I… I thought I was ready… it hurts so much." She breathed out is a shudder. His heart thumped in his chest.

_Fuck! Oh shit, shit, shit!_

She felt him hesitate. She'd gotten this far, she may as well finish what had been started. He started moving back and she pulled at him, bringing his face to hers.

"D-don't stop now! It's ok." she gripped his shoulders. He tried moving back again; there was no way he'd keep going now.

"I can't. Why…? Why didn't you…? You should have said…" he stammered. "I feel like such an idiot."

"I-its ok, I'll… I'll be fine." She whispered encouragingly. "Just… don't say anything. Keep going."

"Are you sure?"

She had had enough of these questions.

"Shut up… just do it already!" She bucked her hips against him, and he pushed in further instinctively. She winced and pulled his head to her mouth, kissing him fiercely to block out the pain.

"C'mon Squall… Show me what you've got!" she muttered against his mouth. He smiled on her lips. Those magic words she used on the dance floor…

"You really wanna know what I've got?" he whispered in a gruff voice. She rubbed her nose against his gently.

"Yeah I do. Go on… take me."

And he did. For the next half an hour he showed her exactly what he knew. She stopped whimpering shortly after her demand and a husky moan overtook the wariness in her voice.

He loved how she gasped into his ears, bit at his lower lip in frenzied kisses, the way she scratched at him, digging her nails deep into his chest and back, called his name out in shameless abandon. How she writhed under his body as he gave her wave after wave of pleasure. He kept switching her round, making use of every position he knew. He had her legs over his shoulders, her sitting in his lap, on her back while he lifted his left leg as leverage… you name the basics, he knew them all… plus some!

Suddenly he wasn't thinking about his needs, he was making it all about her. Her first time had to be pretty spectacular, he wasn't going to have her think he was no good; he wanted her to have a standard for any future encounters. Encounters he wanted to be part of. Hyne if she didn't feel good wrapped around him! Every time he was close he'd force it back down, trying to hold out just a bit longer.

But soon enough, he realised that he had to finish and he was getting really tired. He pulled her to her knees, coming back into her from behind. A few short thrusts would be all he needed now.

She could barely stay on all fours for more than a minute; she eventually slumped to the floor, completely sated. He followed suit, finally feeling complete again as his sweaty body cried out in chords of hallelujah.

Lying on his back beside her, he removed the offending restriction and tied it into a knot. Their breathing was laboured and she sighed deeply, snuggling up to him. It was a matter of minutes before he spoke.

"Wow. That was… incredible." He said stretching out and folding his arms behind his head. She fidgeted and moaned softly.

"Mmm."

He was a bit surprised, he thought she'd have more to say about it. There was one thing plaguing his mind though… what happens next? Was there going to be anything more after tonight, or had what they just shared be the one and only time?

"So… what now Rinoa? Where do we go from here?" he asked, looking at the dark ceiling. She said nothing. He tilted his chin, resting it on his chest and looked at her dark head.

"Rinoa?"

Her gentle snoring reached his ears, it was then that he realised she'd fallen asleep.

He listened to her sleeping as she rested her head on his chest and smiled into the darkness. He'd ask her in the morning.

**End of chapter.**

**Author's Note:** THAT TOOK ME WEEKS TO WORK ON! I missed writing smut, I really did! So to celebrate my return after 6 years, this is for all my wonderful readers!

SIDE NOTE: I would like to state that a LOT of men despise using condoms. 'Shrink Wrapping' is a very common slang term used by those who have personal issues with using them, because… well to the more *ahem* 'equipped' males it is confining and in some cases; painful to wear.

Squall's hatred of them is based on the average man's feelings towards using them- like I said; MOST men prefer to go bareback. I have **no** personal feelings for or against them but I would advise practising safe sex to anyone in relationships etc, be it by oral birth control, implants, injections or physical items like condoms. That is all I will say on this matter, thank you.

**Chapter Eighteen: What Have I Done?:** the aftermath of the night before. What happens next? Will Rinoa stay true to her plans? Will Squall finally catch a break and get closer to Rinoa? Will they forget it happened and stop being friends? Stay tuned!


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